Trump appoints former Development Finance Corp. CEO Adam Boehler as special envoy for hostage affairs.

• As President-elect Donald Trump's special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, CEO of healthcare investment firm Rubicon Founders, will lead efforts to secure the release of American citizens held captive abroad.
• In 2020, Boehler served as a negotiator for the Abraham Accords, contributing to the normalization of relations between Israel and multiple Arab states.
• The killing of American citizen Omer Neutra in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks prompted Trump's announcement.

On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump appointed Adam Boehler, CEO of Rubicon Founders, as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, with the rank of ambassador.

Boehler served as a negotiator on the Abraham Accords in 2020, working alongside his friend Jared Kushner, who was Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House advisor at the time.

"Trump announced Boehler's selection on Wednesday, stating that he has negotiated with some of the toughest people in the world, including the Taliban. Trump added that Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens home."

Boehler wrote a post in response to the announcement, stating, "Bringing Americans home is of utmost importance. With @realDonaldTrump leading the way, there will be action and consequences. We will finally bring them home."

This week, news broke that American citizen Omer Neutra, who had been believed to be alive and was being held hostage in Gaza, had actually been killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Following this news, Trump announced Boehler.

On the day of Neutra's death, Trump threatened to bring "ALL HELL TO PAY" in the Middle East if Hamas did not release their hostages before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.

According to NBC News, as of Thursday, about 100 hostages were still being held in Gaza, with approximately 30 of them believed to have been killed in the 14 months since they were taken.

In a Monday post, Trump wrote, "Those responsible will face harsher consequences than anyone has ever experienced in the storied history of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!"

The ceasefire talks in Gaza were stopped in November due to Qatari mediators' frustration with the parties' unwillingness to make progress.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Steve Witkoff, Trump's incoming special envoy to the Middle East, traveled to Qatar and Israel a few weeks later, raising the possibility that the Gulf state might resume its mediation role in future talks.

The Biden administration continues to lead negotiations for the next six weeks, with the White House viewing Witkoff's meetings as a chance to better comprehend the situation rather than a complete diplomatic effort.

Boehler will replace Roger Carstens, the special envoy for hostage affairs, who was appointed by Trump in 2020 and kept on by Biden in 2021.

Boehler served as the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation during the first Trump administration, with the aim of unifying several U.S. international funding agencies.

The new agency was also assigned to coordinate some of the medical supply chain during the Covid pandemic, with certain parts operating under an emergency Defense Production Act mandate from the White House.

In 2021, the agency faced criticism from a government watchdog after it failed to deliver on promised loans with funds allocated to it. The DFC responded by stating that the loan approval process had become more complicated than anticipated.