Former Shin Bet negotiator reveals secret direct talks with senior Hamas official

Former Shin Bet negotiator Adi Rotem said Saturday that he held secret telephone talks with senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in 2024, opening a direct line of communication that he says helped advance the January 2025 hostage agreement.

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Rotem said the contacts were authorized by the country’s political and security leadership. According to the report, Prime Minister Netanyahu, the war cabinet and the security cabinet approved the initiative.

Rotem said he proposed approaching Hamad because the two had previously dealt with each other during negotiations that led to the 2011 release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He presented the idea to then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who secured the required approvals.

The alternative channel was created after Israeli officials concluded that negotiations mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar were making little progress, Rotem said. He accused Qatar of adopting positions too closely aligned with Hamas and allowing the talks to repeatedly stall.

According to Rotem, the killing of six hostages by their Hamas captors in August 2024 became “the last straw” and strengthened the case for direct contact.

Rotem and Hamad communicated exclusively by telephone, often during late-night conversations. He characterized the discussions as “emotional, difficult and complex,” with much of the bargaining centered on lists of Palestinian prisoners who could be exchanged for Israeli hostages.

“We are enemies in times of war,” Rotem recalled telling Hamad. He argued that communicating directly with Hamas did not legitimize the organization but was necessary to secure the hostages’ release.

“We negotiate with the terrorist, with the enemy, to get someone out,” Rotem said.

After each conversation, he briefed a small group of senior officials, including Bar, on the details of the exchange.