Washington DC - The US envoy who held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas said Sunday that the meeting had been "very helpful" and he was confident a Gaza hostage release deal could be reached "within weeks."

Adam Boehler told CNN that, as a Jewish American, it had been "odd" sitting face-to-face with leaders of a group that the US has listed as a "terrorist" organization since 1997.

He did not rule out further meetings with the Palestinian militants, however.

Boehler said he understood Israel's "consternation" that the US had held talks at all with the group, but said he had been seeking to jump-start the "fragile" negotiations.

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"In the end, I think it was a very helpful meeting," he said, adding, "I think something could come together within weeks... I think there is a deal where they can get all of the prisoners out, not just the Americans."

Boehler suggested there was a chance of further talks with the militants, telling CNN, "You never know. You know, sometimes you're in the area and you drop by."

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, taking 251 hostages including a number of Americans. An estimated 58 hostages remain in Gaza.

Israel invaded Gaza in response, waging a relentless war for more than 15 months and displacing much of the population.

The first phase of a truce revolving around the release of some hostages ended earlier this month, and both sides are disputing when to move into the second phase, which aims at a more permanent peace.

Last week, US President Donald Trump threatened further destruction of Gaza if all remaining hostages were not released, issuing what he called a "last warning" to Hamas leaders.