Mar 06, Kathmandu- A senior Hamas official said there had been two direct meetings with US officials. This news was written by BBC.

Asked about the contact, White House spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt said President Trump's special envoy for the hostages, Adam Boehler, had the authority to negotiate.

The only official response from Israel so far has come from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel has informed the United States of its position regarding direct talks with Hamas.

However, it is unclear how much information Israeli officials were given about the talks.

The ongoing talks are highly unusual, but not entirely unprecedented, given the US's three-decade-long ban on contact with Hamas.

The BBC has learned that a meeting was held in April last year with a member of the Biden administration to discuss the US hostages.

Trump has given Hamas a 'final warning' over the release of Israeli hostages. Trump has warned that not a single Hamas member will be safe if all hostages are not released immediately.

The first phase of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which began on January 19, ended on March 1. Israel has rejected a US proposal to extend the ceasefire by six weeks.

Israel has since banned the entry of any humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.

In response, Hamas says that at least 48,365 people have been killed so far by Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip.

As part of the first phase of the ceasefire, from January 19 to March 1, Hamas returned 25 people alive and 8 bodies to Israel. In exchange, Israel released 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.

The release of Nepali student Bipin Joshi, who was allegedly taken hostage by Hamas, is still uncertain.