Axios revealed Tuesday that the secret talks that led to Aidan Alexander's release were initiated by a Hamas official and met with Palestinian-American Bishara Bahbah, the former leader of Arab Americans for Trump, according to Israeli officials, a Palestinian official, and a US official who spoke to Axios.

Hamas was looking for a way to persuade US President Donald Trump to exert more pressure on Israel, and the Trump team was determined to secure the release of the last surviving American held in Gaza. Bahbah, the Palestinian-American businessman who helped Trump win over Arab voters in the 2024 elections, became the unlikely mediator.

A Hamas official outside Gaza contacted Bahbah in late April in hopes of initiating a dialogue with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the website. A senior Israeli official told Axios that this secret channel took some time to emerge, but gained momentum last week.

About 20 messages were exchanged between the two sides via phone calls and text messages to Bahbah over the past two weeks. Bahbah also spoke with Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's chief negotiator, according to an informed source. Bahbah declined to comment.

With the help of Qatari officials and Bahbah, Witkoff eventually convinced the movement that releasing Alexander "for free" would carry significant weight with Trump.

At approximately 10:00 PM Doha time on Sunday (11/5/2025), Hamas officially agreed to release Alexander.

Witkoff then called Alexander's parents to deliver the news they had waited 583 days to hear. "It was a very emotional call from both sides," Adi's father told Axios.

Israel learned of the secret conversations about Alexander, an IDF soldier, not from the White House, but from its own intelligence services, according to Israeli officials who spoke to Axios.

When Ron Dermer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-hand man, was in Washington last Thursday, his American counterparts did not mention the secret channel. An Israeli official said Dermer had to raise the matter himself with Witkoff. Witkoff assured Dermer that talks were underway, but made it clear that Israel would not have to offer anything in exchange for Alexander's release, and that Hamas had not yet agreed.

Alexander's release was the focus of unprecedented direct negotiations between Trump's envoy for prisoner affairs, Adam Boehler, and Hamas leaders in Qatar in March.

It appears that the Israeli government learned about these conversations from its intelligence services, which were spying on Hamas.

At the time, Trump was seeking a deal to release Alexander before his State of the Union address, and Hamas was demanding the release of 250 prisoners held in Israel in exchange.

Those talks reached a dead end three hours before Trump's speech. To this day, Trump's advisors believe that Netanyahu's aides leaked the proposal to the press with the intent of sabotaging it.

Witkoff had put forward a similar proposal last March, which would have seen Hamas release Alexander, and Trump publicly call for a temporary ceasefire and talks on a comprehensive deal, but Hamas rejected the offer, according to Axios.

Over the next few weeks, Israel gradually expanded its war on the besieged Gaza Strip, intensifying its airstrikes and continuing to block all humanitarian aid from entering.

On April 22, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited the White House and met with Witkoff and Trump.

He put forward a Hamas-backed proposal for a comprehensive agreement to release all hostages and end the war, but the US message was that a short-term, partial agreement was the only solution available.

When he returned to Doha, Al Thani informed Hamas of this and encouraged it to make a gesture to Trump that might change his position, according to the officials.

Days later, a Hamas official contacted Bahbah.

On Sunday, while in talks with the Iranian foreign minister in Muscat regarding a possible nuclear deal, Witkoff also held phone calls with the prime minister of Qatar to pressure Hamas to conclude the agreement.

According to a Palestinian official, the Trump administration informed Hamas that if Alexander is released, the United States will push for a 70- to 90-day ceasefire—longer than previous offers—in exchange for the release of 10 hostages.

The official in charge of the offer said that negotiations on a final agreement would also begin during the ceasefire, and that the United States, Qatar, and Egypt would guarantee that the war would not resume as long as it continues. The US side did not confirm these details.

When Hamas agreed to release Alexander, Witkoff contacted Netanyahu and Dermer, as well as Alexander's family.

A senior US official downplayed Bishara's role, saying, "He was involved, but indirectly."

When Trump spoke with Netanyahu on Monday, he did not pressure him to end the war or cancel a large-scale ground operation in Gaza that Israel plans to launch once Trump's visit ends, according to Israeli officials. A US official with direct knowledge of the call declined to comment.

"Hamas did not receive any commitments from Trump," an Israeli official said. "They were hoping to make him more supportive, but that doesn't seem to have worked."

Another Israeli official said Hamas took a calculated risk: "They knew they would only get something between US sympathy and a clear statement from Trump. But it was worth the risk to them."

Experts believe that Trump, who is sometimes frustrated by Netanyahu's intransigence, may decide to apply more pressure soon.

Witkov and Israeli negotiators are heading to Doha on Tuesday to resume talks on a broader Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.

Israeli officials believe the chances of progress are slim, given that both sides remain entrenched in their positions.

An Israeli official said: "We informed Witkov that he has four days to reach an agreement. After that, we will enter the Gaza Strip in force to occupy it."