In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, hundreds of people broke out into cheers.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas on Monday released an Israeli-American soldier who had been held hostage in Gaza for more than 19 months, offering a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel. Edan Alexander, 21, was the first hostage released since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March and unleashed fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.He was handed over to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces before being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities released video and photos showing a pale but smiling Alexander in an emotional reunion with his mother and other family members.Israel has promised to intensify its offensive, including by seizing Gaza and displacing much of the territory's population again. Days before the ceasefire ended, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave, deepening a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings about…

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas on Monday released an Israeli-American soldier who had been held hostage in Gaza for more than 19 months, offering a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel. Edan Alexander, 21, was the first hostage released since Israel shattered […]

Alexander was among 251 people taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. Fifty-eight remain in Gaza.

Israeli-American soldier released by Hamas after 19 months in Gaza, potentially paving the way for a new ceasefire.

An Israeli-American hostage crossed into Israel on Monday after his release by Hamas as fighting paused in Gaza, the Israeli military said.

Hamas releases Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, ahead of President Trump’s Middle East trip

The Hamas statement Sunday night does not say when the release will happen.

CAIRO >> Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander will soon be released in Gaza, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday, a move key Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt described as an encouraging step towards a return to ceasefire talks in the war-torn enclave.

CAIRO/JERUSALEM >> Hamas said it had freed an Israeli-American hostage as fighting paused in Gaza today, but there was no agreement on a wider truce or hostage release as a global hunger monitor warned of famine in the devastated enclave.