Trump's back channel to Hamas says militants could cede heavy weapons in disarmament deal
Bishara Bahbah says he recently relayed messages between the Trump administration and Hamas concerning the handover of the deceased hostages.
WASHINGTON — A Palestinian American who has served as a back channel between the Trump administration and Hamas says the militant group could be persuaded to hand over its heavy weaponry as part of the ceasefire's second phase.
“The conversations I've had with them were unofficial, but that's the gist of what I understood,” Bishara Bahbah told Al-Monitor in an Oct. 21 interview.
Bahbah, founder of the Arab Americans for Peace group (formerly Arab Americans for Trump), has acted as an intermediary since March and helped secure the release of American Israeli hostage Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity in May.
“It was an accident,” Bahbah said of his involvement in the negotiations. “Apparently, Hamas had heard about me having worked for [President Trump’s] campaign last year.”
