Tel Aviv, March 10 -- US hostage envoy Adam Boehler defended his direct talks with officials in the Hamas terror group, pushing back against private but intense criticism from Jerusalem, The Times of Israel reported.

Some of Boehler's remarks on Sunday further annoyed senior Israeli officials, who told The Times of Israel they were surprised to hear the envoy comment that the US is "not an agent of Israel."

The direct US-Hamas talks, held in parallel to indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt, focused on releasing the American hostages still captive in Gaza, though Boehler stressed that the ultimate goal was the release of all the hostages.

"We weren't prepared to just sit back for two weeks," Times of Israel quoted Boehler a...