U.S.-Israel tensions over Hamas meetings simmer ahead of Gaza talks

Behind the scenes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined to pick a public fight with Trump since Axios revealed the U.S.-Hamas talks last Wednesday, but Israeli officials have expressed their anger in private, Israeli officials say.

Driving the news: Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday while traveling to Saudi Arabia that the Hamas talks were a "one-off" that "hasn't borne fruit."

• Rubio said the primary channel for negotiations on a new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal was being led by White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, through the Qatari mediators.
• Witkoff is expected to join the indirect Israel-Hamas talks tomorrow in the Qatari capital.
• Phase one of the Gaza ceasefire expired on March 1. While fighting has not resumed, Israel has cut off humanitarian aid to Gaza to pressure Hamas to make a deal.

The other side: Ron Dermer, Netanyahu's closest adviser, said during a security cabinet meeting on Sunday that Boehler's talks with Hamas didn't represent the Trump administration's position, an Israeli official briefed on the meeting said.

• Dermer also told the ministers that Israel received assurances from the Trump administration that "it won"t happen again" and that Witkoff will be the only channel for the negotiations over the hostages.
• However, Dermer's claim that Boehler was freelancing is at odds with Leavitt's comments that Trump personally supports Boehler's efforts. Trump also personally defended the talks last week and said they were aimed at helping Israel free its hostages.

Flashback: Dermer held an angry call with Boehler last week over the Hamas talks and the lack of coordination with Israel, as Axios reported.

What they're saying: Boehler confirmed that in an interview with Israel's Channel 13, one of several interviews he did on Sunday.

• "I don't really care about that that much, no offense to Dermer," he said. "If it was a big deal every time Dermer got a little bit upset Ron would have a lot of big deals every day."
• Boehler also confirmed during his media appearances that the talks weren't just about freeing an American hostage — part of his mandate as hostage envoy — but also about a broader deal to release all hostages and reach a multi-year truce.
• Boehler told CNN he understood Israeli concerns about his talks but emphasized the U.S. is "not an agent of Israel" with "specific interests at play."

State of play: Boehler held at least two rounds of talks with Hamas officials in Doha, including with the head of the group's negotiations team Khalil al-Hayya.

• News of the talks sparked immediate backlash on the right in Israel and, to a lesser degree, in the U.S.
• But some of Trump's critics actually praised him for circumventing Netanyahu to try to reach a deal directly with Hamas — something the Biden administration declined to do.
• This was the first major clash with Israel since Trump returned to the White House.

What's next: An Israeli delegation traveled to Doha on Monday for the primary track of negotiations, which Witkoff is expected to join Tuesday.

• In an interview with Fox News on Monday before traveling to the region, Witkoff said there needs to be "a deadline" for the negotiations with Hamas.
• "A starter is Hamas demilitarizing, not rearming, leaving all their arms on the ground and leaving Gaza. I believe they have no alternative other than to leave. If they leave, everything is on the table," he said.

What to watch: "Witkoff told us that if things [get] serious he is willing to spend 3 or 4 days and try to reach a deal," an Israeli official told Axios.

• At least initially, Witkoff is expected to be working through the Qatari mediators, not meeting directly with Hamas.
• Witkoff told the Israelis he wouldn't meet with Hamas unless the group made tangible concessions, according to the Israeli official.