Trump at event commemorating October 7
Trump at event commemorating October 7REUTERS/Marco Bello

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Monday, 16 December 2024), met with US President-elect Donald Trump's designated envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, during the course of a private visit to Israel by the latter, the Prime Minister's Office announced.

The meeting was held in Jerusalem.

Earlier Monday, Trump briefly addressed the issue of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza in a press briefing in the US.

"We're trying to help very strongly in getting the hostages back, as you know, with Israel and the Middle East. We're working very much on that," Trump said.

Trump announced his appointment of Adam Boehler Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs with the personal rank of Ambassador, earlier this month. Boehler worked as a lead negotiator on the Abraham Accords team during Trump's first term.

In his announcement, Trump noted that Boehler "has negotiated with some of the toughest people in the World, including the Taliban, but Adam knows that no one is tougher than the United States of America, at least when President Trump is its Leader. Adam will work tirelessly to bring our great American citizens home."