U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that a high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump’s hostage envoy and Hamas was a one-time occurrence that has so far produced no tangible results.

Speaking to reporters en route to Saudi Arabia, Rubio addressed the controversial meeting, in which Adam Boehler, the U.S. special envoy for hostages, directly engaged with Hamas officials regarding the release of American-Israeli captive Edan Alexander.

“That was a one-off situation in which our special envoy for hostages, whose job it is to get people released, had an opportunity to talk directly to someone who has control over these people and was given permission and encouraged to do so. He did so,” Rubio said.

“As of now, it hasn’t borne fruit. Doesn’t mean he was wrong to try, but our primary vehicle for negotiations on this front will continue to be Mr. Witkoff and the work he’s doing through Qatar,” Rubio added, referencing Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

The revelation of direct talks between the Trump administration and Hamas has sparked intense debate, marking a dramatic shift in long-standing U.S. policy that rejects negotiations with designated terrorist organizations.

Since 1997, the U.S. government has officially classified Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), making the recent diplomatic overture unprecedented. Despite this, Hamas political adviser Taher Nunu confirmed the meetings, stating that the group had engaged in discussions “positively and flexibly” to serve “the interests of the Palestinian people.”

Critics argue that Washington’s willingness to sit across the table from Hamas legitimizes the group, particularly after it orchestrated the October 7 massacre.

Hamas has made clear that it will not release hostages without sweeping concessions, including Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the war, and a total ceasefire—essentially demanding total victory. While Hamas has indicated it is open to releasing Israeli hostages with American citizenship, it insists this must be part of a “comprehensive agreement.”

Israel has flatly rejected such demands. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government has refused to condition hostage releases on an Israeli military withdrawal, calling Hamas’s terms unacceptable. Instead, Israel has sent its own negotiators to parallel talks in Doha, led by hostage negotiator Gal Hirsch and senior security officials, to push for the release of over 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others still held in Gaza.

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