A senior Hamas official tells Newsweek that the Palestinian militant group saw "positive" potential in signs of a growing rift between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after offering the U.S. leader a political win in the form of an American hostage release ahead of his Middle East trip.

A senior Hamas official also addresses whether Hamas - which has been in power since it won the 2006 Palestinian elections - could step down from government in order to secure peace in Gaza.

"Young Turks" hosts Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur break down Trump envoy Steve Witkoff's comments about Netanyahu being the primary obstacle to achieving peace between Israel and Palestine and praise "refreshing" anti-war sentiment from the "wildcard" Trump administration.

But there is no sign Trump has abandoned Israel. While he skipped Israel on his tour of the Middle East, his rhetoric remains closely aligned with Israeli foreign policy—especially on Iran —reiterating that it must abandon ambitions for developing a nuclear weapon and calling it "destabilizing".

Israel's right-wing government has maintained a diplomatic silence this week as U.S. President Donald Trump fired off a blizzard of announcements that have shaken Israeli assumptions about their country's standing with its most important ally.

Hamas freed the last living American citizen held hostage in Gaza, following talks between the US and the group ahead of a Middle East visit by President Donald Trump.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is “no way” Israel will halt its war in Gaza, even if a deal is reached to release more hostages.