Hamas says it will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander
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CAIRO: Hamas will release the Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander held in Gaza, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday (May 11), a move key Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt described as an encouraging step towards a return to ceasefire talks in the war-torn enclave.
The senior Hamas official did not specify a time for the release of Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli Army who was born and raised in New Jersey, but a source familiar with the matter told Reuters it would likely happen on Tuesday.
Freeing Alexander, believed to be the last surviving American hostage held by the militant Palestinian group, is part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, Hamas said.
US President Donald Trump will visit the Middle East this week. His special envoy Adam Boehler said news of Alexander's release was a positive step forward.
"We would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken," Boehler added.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was grateful to all those involved.
"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.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza in the deadliest day for Israel in its history.
The campaign has killed more than 52,800 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, and has devastated the Gaza Strip, leaving its 2.3 million population depending on aid supplies that have been dwindling rapidly since Israel imposed a blockade in March.
In a joint statement, Qatar and Egypt said Hamas' agreement to free Alexander was an "encouraging" step towards the warring parties returning to Gaza ceasefire talks, which have stalled since March.
The two countries said they would pursue their efforts, along with the United States, to improve the conditions in Gaza, reaching out for a permanent ceasefire and end to the war.
Exiled Gaza Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya said efforts to facilitate Alexander's release have been jointly carried out by Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
"The movement affirms its readiness to immediately start intensive negotiations and make serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war, exchange prisoners in an agreed-upon manner," Hayya said.
Direct four-way talks that led to the release were held between officials from the US, Qatar, Egypt and Hamas, a source briefed on the negotiations told Reuters.
The US had previously held discussions with Hamas on securing the release of US hostages held in Gaza.
Israeli media reported on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a closed session of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hamas could soon release Alexander as a goodwill gesture towards Trump.
The prime minister's office said the US told Israel that Hamas' freeing of Alexander would lead to negotiations for the release of more hostages. Israel's policy is that negotiations will be conducted under fire with a continued commitment to achieving all war objectives, it added in a statement.
Hamas had released 38 hostages under a ceasefire that began on Jan 19. In March, Israel's military resumed its ground and aerial offensive on Gaza, abandoning the ceasefire after Hamas rejected proposals to extend the truce without ending the war.
Israeli officials said that the offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarised. Hamas insists it will free hostages only as part of a deal to end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms.
Israel, which is in control of around a third of Gaza's territory, said in May it would expand its Gaza offensive.
A US State Department spokesperson said Hamas bore sole responsibility for the war as well as for the resumption of hostilities.
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