US White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt has confirmed recent reports on the US President Donald Trump administration holding direct and secret talks with Hamas and said that Israel had been briefed on the talks.

“Dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what is in the best interests of the American people is something the President believes in,” said Leavitt.

Asked whether the parts discussed the release of US prisoners or Trump’s Gaza plan, the US spokeswoman said: “These are ongoing talks and discussions. I won’t go into detail here, what is at stake are the lives of American citizens.”

The US special representative for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, has reportedly been holding direct and secret talks with Hamas in Qatar’s capital, Doha, in recent weeks.