The channel said that this option is currently under discussion within the Biden administration, according to five sources familiar with the discussions.
A US official said a unilateral deal was unlikely, but the administration had prepared a list of prisoners held by the United States whose release might interest Hamas.
In a meeting Sunday with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, after six hostages were killed by Hamas, including American Hersh Goldberg Polin, relatives of the American citizens still in captivity urged the administration to evaluate options that did not include Israel, the sources said.
Administration officials told the families they would examine “all options,” but a deal with Hamas that included Israel remained the preferred approach, according to sources familiar with the conversation.
Discussions of a unilateral deal come as family members and some administration officials increasingly believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may not abide by an agreement with Hamas that would include a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of the hostages, the sources said.
Four American hostages are still being held by Hamas, and the United States believes they are alive, while the administration is seeking to recover the remains of three others believed to be dead.
In June, NBC News reported that the Biden administration discussed the possibility of negotiating a unilateral deal with Hamas to release American hostages in Gaza if ceasefire talks involving Israel collapse.
But the idea did not move forward, as some senior administration officials strongly opposed it, and President Joe Biden preferred to continue trying to reach a broader agreement that includes Israel and sets a path to ending the conflict.
Prisoners in America that Hamas may be interested in
Still, in a sign that a unilateral deal is being explored internally, the Biden administration has compiled a list of prisoners in the United States whose release Hamas might be interested in securing as part of a deal to free the kidnapped Americans, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the planning. One official said the list includes five individuals.
US officials said the Biden administration made initial contacts with Hamas, through Qatari officials, about six months ago to explore the possibility of reaching a unilateral agreement amid stalled negotiations on a broader deal that would include Israel.
The US list of potential prisoners Hamas might be interested in releasing includes five leaders of a Texas-based charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, who were convicted in 2008 of providing more than $12 million to Hamas, which the US has designated a terrorist organization.
They added that this initial initiative has not achieved significant progress.
There is not enough in return
An administration official said the idea of reaching a unilateral deal with Hamas was unrealistic because the United States did not have enough to offer in exchange for American hostages.
“We studied all possible options to free the hostages and return them to their families,” the official explained. “Because of Hamas’ demands, no official offer of a unilateral deal was made, because such a deal is not possible.”
“Hamas wants two things that only Israel can offer: a ceasefire and the release of about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli jails,” the official added. “All other proposals have not gone far because that is what Hamas is demanding in exchange for the hostages.”
“President Biden and the rest of the US government remain fully committed to returning hostages, including Americans, to their families. We continue to work day and night to achieve a ceasefire and the release of hostages,” he stressed.
A Qatari government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative of the families of the American hostages held by Hamas declined to comment.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Wednesday that Sullivan’s message to the families of American hostages recently was: “We will continue to make every effort to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”
“We still believe that the best option, the best possible way, to achieve this is through the deal that was on the table,” Kirby added, referring to the negotiations between Israel and Hamas brokered by Qatar.
Asked Tuesday whether the Biden administration had seriously considered the idea of reaching a unilateral agreement with Hamas, State Department spokesman Matt Miller did not answer directly.
“Our full focus is on securing an agreement to bring all of the hostages home. That includes, of course, the American hostages,” Miller said. Asked again about a unilateral deal, Miller replied: “We are working on an agreement to bring them all back.”
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