Last surviving American hostage in Gaza to be released, Hamas says

Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip: Hamas says Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, will be released as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings into the territory and resume the delivery of aid.

US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed on Monday (AEST) in a message to AP that Hamas had agreed to release Alexander as a goodwill gesture towards the US president.

Yael Alexander holds a poster of her son, Edan, who was taken hostage by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023.Credit: AP

Hamas said in a statement it would release Alexander on Monday, Gaza City time. It gave no further details. There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities on the timing of the release.

The announcement of the first hostage release since Israel shattered a ceasefire in March comes ahead of Trump’s planned visit to the Middle East this week. It highlighted the willingness of Israel’s closest ally to inject momentum into ceasefire talks for the 19-month war as desperation grows among hostages’ families and Gaza’s over 2 million people under the new Israeli blockade.

“This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators – Qatar and Egypt – to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones,” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. “Hopefully, this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!”

Alexander is an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in the US. He was abducted from his base during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack during which some 1200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken, igniting the war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the US informed it of Hamas’ intent to release Alexander “without compensation or conditions” and that the step was expected to lead to negotiations on a truce.

Netanyahu’s government was angered by US direct talks with Hamas earlier this year, which led to a Hamas offer to release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to a stalled ceasefire deal. Days later, however, Israel resumed the war.

Witkoff said Hamas’ goal in releasing Alexander was to restart talks on a ceasefire, the release of additional hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza before Israel carried out a threatened total takeover of the territory.

Khalil al-Hayyah, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said the group had been in contact with the US administration over the past few days.

He said in a statement that Hamas was ready to “immediately start intensive negotiations” to reach a final deal for a long-term truce that included an end to the war, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and hostages in Gaza and the handing over of power in Gaza to an independent body of technocrats.

Indirect talks between Hamas and the US began five days ago, an Egyptian official and a senior Hamas official said. Both described the release of Alexander as a gesture of goodwill.

The senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the details publicly, said Hamas had been advised to “give a gift to President Trump and in return he will give back a better one”.

Another Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, said Alexander’s release required Israel to pause fighting for a couple of hours. Netanyahu said Israel had agreed only to a safe corridor to allow Alexander’s release, and its forces would continue recently announced preparations to step up operations in Gaza.

The Egyptian official involved in ceasefire negotiations, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hamas had received assurances from the Trump administration through Egyptian and Qatari mediators that Alexander’s release “will put all files on the negotiating table”, including an end to the war.

Alexander’s parents did not immediately return requests for comment.

Trump and Witkoff have frequently mentioned Alexander, now 21, by name in the past few months. Witkoff is expected to visit Israel in the coming hours.

Edan Alexander, seen here on his grandmother’s T-shirt, was abducted from his base during the October 7 Hamas-led attack in 2023 that ignited the war in Gaza.Credit: AP

“Every time they say Edan’s name, it’s like they didn’t forget. They didn’t forget he’s American, and they’re working on it,” Edan’s mother, Yael Alexander, said in February.

Hamas released a video of Alexander in November during the Thanksgiving weekend, his favourite holiday, his mother said. The video was difficult to watch as he cried and pleaded for help, but it was a relief to see the most recent sign that he was alive, she said.

Edan Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after high school and enlisted in the military.

Fifty-nine hostages remain in Gaza, about a third of them believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. The Hostages Families Forum, the grassroots forum representing most hostage families, said Alexander’s release “must mark the beginning of a comprehensive agreement” that would free everyone.

Trump, whose administration has voiced full support for Israel’s actions, is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week.

Israeli strikes on the weekend killed 15 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, according to local health officials.

The Israeli military says it targets only militants and that it tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the 19-month-old war because it says the militants are embedded in densely populated areas. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the latest strikes.

Israel has sealed Gaza off from all imports, including food, medicine and emergency shelter, for more than 10 weeks in what it says is a pressure tactic aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages. Israel resumed its offensive in March, shattering a ceasefire that had facilitated the release of more than 30 hostages.

The UN and aid groups say food and other supplies are running low and hunger is widespread.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 52,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory and displaced some 90 per cent of its population of about 2 million.

AP

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