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The Trump administration on Wednesday said it held talks with Hamas over the return of US captives still held in the Gaza Strip, engaging with the Palestinian group for the first time in decades.

Wednesday’s talks took place in Doha and facilitated by Qatari mediators, Axios reported.

They were led by US presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler, and came as a surprise given that Washington has designated Hamas as a terrorist group since 1997.

The meetings reportedlyÌýfocused on the return of the remaining dual US-Israeli captives in Gaza, but also touched on the possibility of a broader ceasefire deal, ´¡³æ¾±´Ç²õÌýsaid.

But what do these talks mean?

Trump's approach

The US has seldom engaged with Palestinian factions - least of all Hamas - in recent years. The talks were interpreted as a departure from Washington's usual approach to foreign policy, which specifically prescripts not engaging with groups or individuals classified as "terrorists".Ìý

But given the rash nature of President Donald Trump's approach to global affairs, the talks should not have come as too much of a surprise.Ìý

Trump, who is staunchly pro-Israel, successfully brokered a ceasefire and captive release deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip - something that Joe Biden's administration failed to do. This may come as an indication of his administration's "ability" to negotiate with the Palestinian group regarding its interests.Ìý

Palestinian-Dutch analyst Mouin Rabbani said the US’s decision to engage with Hamas was not "an instinctive one", but said a number of concerns, including the collective Arab rejection of the Trump so-called 'Gaza Riviera' proposal,Ìýa prolonged hostage crisis, and a potential conflict with Iran, might have been the "trigger" to its meeting with Hamas.

Meetings in Doha

Previously, Hamas had refused on multiple occasions to agree to a ceasefire that didn’t include a complete halt to the war on Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli troops - conditions rejected by Netanyahu over a long period of time.

The first phase of the ceasefire, which ended on Sunday, saw a halt to the military onslaught, though deadly violations occurred sporadically.

According to Axios, the talks between the US and Hamas focused on securing the return of 21-year-old Edan Alexander, believed to be the last remaining captive in Gaza with US citizenship. The bodies of four other Israeli-American citizens also remain in the Gaza Strip.

Discussions on the possibility of a "broader" agreement to a long-term ceasefire and release of all remaining hostages have also taken place

Currently, the ceasefire in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is on shaky ground with the first phase ending on Sunday. Hamas has insisted on moving to the second phase of the truce, but Israel has refused to proceed with this and has imposed a total siege on Gaza, preventing the entry of all humanitarian aid.

The US-Hamas reportedly took place in February, according to the Wall Street Journal, and reportedly led to the release of captive Sagui Dekel Chen, also a dual US-Israeli.

The White House press secretary said Israel was "consulted on the talks", but it remains unclear whether this happened before or after the meeting took place. Axios reported that Israel learned about aspects of the talks through other channels.

Israel's consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, told Fox News: "There is a new attitude from the White House … against Hamas. They can talk with Hamas, that’s OK," alluding that the discussions were held without Israel's knowledge.

What happens next?

Hours after the news broke that the US had held talks with Hamas, Trump went on a social media tirade, threatening the group - as well as the people of Gaza - with "death" if the remaining hostages were not released.

"This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say."

Hamas did not respond to reports of the talks, but staunchly rejected Trump's threats, stressing that the ceasefire deal "must be respected" and move on to the next phase.

"Trump's repeated threats against our people are support for Netanyahu to evade the [ceasefire] agreement andÌýtighten the siege and starvation of our people," Hamas spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanou wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday.

"The best path to free the remaining Israeli prisoners is for the occupation to enter second-phase negotiations and force it to abide by the signed agreement."

The confirmation of US-Hamas talks and Trump's threats to the group seem to contradict one another - or are simply reflective of the US administration's chaotic approach to international affairs that have dominated the news cycleÌýever since Trump's inauguration in January.

The ceasefire remains in limbo. Hamas confirmed on Thursday that mediators Egypt, the US, and Qatar are continuing their efforts to get Israel to agree to a second phase of the ceasefire.

Spokesperson Hazam Qassem said the group "reiterates its commitment to all phases of the agreement, and hopes that the mediators' contacts will lead to the implementation of all phases of the deal by the Israeli occupation".

Israel has said that it does not want to proceed to the second phase as it would mean the end to its war in Gaza, but has instead insisted on an extension of the first phase.