US engaged in direct negotiations with Hamas regarding hostages in Gaza, including an American national. Israeli leaders quietly expressed their displeasure, saying Hamas is a terrorist organization whose words can’t be trusted or taken at face value. Israel, meanwhile, says it’s preparing to go back to war against Hamas, if necessary. An Israeli negotiating team is headed to Qatar later today to engage in another round of indirect talks with Hamas, brokered by officials of Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. Adam Boehler, the US envoy for hostages, acknowledged in television interviews Sunday that Israel had “raised some concerns,” but said it’s helpful to hear what Hamas wants and what it’s offering. “We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play,’ Boehler noted on CNN, adding that the US-Israel relationship is rock-solid, not under threat. The friction over Boehler’s outreach to Hamas, a group the US and others designate as terrorist, is the first sign of disagreement.