Intermediaries for the U.S. government have been holding backchannel discussions over the last six months with representatives from Hamas, according to a Buzzfeed article published Wednesday.

Per the article, meetings between Hamas officials and U.S. intermediaries occurred "in third-party countries ranging from Egypt to Qatar and Jordan." Topics of the discussions included the role the U.S. might play in the newly formed governing partnership between Hamas and Fatah.

As Buzzfeed reports, news of the negotiations is unlikely to be met with a welcome reception by Israel:

During the talks, Hamas gave assurances that allowed the U.S. to support the unity government, despite heavy pressure by the Israeli government for them to condemn it, the diplomatic officials — one U.S. and one Palestinian — said. They said those assurances including a commitment to maintaining a ceasefire with Israel.

The U.S. has been criticized this week for also negotiating with members of the Taliban as part of the prisoner swap that resulted in the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.