Washington is turning its attention away from direct talks with Hamas, after those talks sparked concerns in Israel and produced little result.

U.S. Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler defended the United States’s negotiating directly with the Hamas terrorist group, though he acknowledged why Israeli officials were upset over the move. The Trump administration has been negotiating directly with Hamas over the release of its hostages,

Adam Boehler, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, said on Sunday that recent direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas on continuing the cease-fire and hostage-release deal with Israel were “very productive.”