UPD: Edan Alexander was handed over to Red Cross representatives
On Monday, Hamas is set to release the American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander after 580 days in captivity, reports The Times of Israel. The Palestinian terrorist group agreed to this step as a gesture of goodwill towards US President Donald Trump ahead of his visit to the region, hoping that he, in turn, will convince Israel to sign an agreement on the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for ending the war, several official sources told the publication.
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff called Alexander's parents, Yael and Adi, on Sunday afternoon to inform them of the news. They flew to Israel on Sunday evening to be present for Alexander's release.
Alexander, who holds dual citizenship and grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the Israel Defense Forces at the time of his abduction. He was kidnapped from his base during the October 7, 2023, offensive led by Hamas, which marked the beginning of the war in Gaza.
Hamas stated that it is ready to release all hostages at once in exchange for ending the war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused such an exchange, claiming it would leave Hamas in power.
The terrorist group hopes that Alexander's release will be enough to convince Trump to pressure Netanyahu to agree to the exchange, said a source familiar with the matter.
In a statement, Hamas said that the decision to release Alexander was made after recent negotiations with US officials and "intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip." In its statement, Hamas also announced its readiness to begin intensive negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war, establish a mutual "agreed prisoner exchange, and provide the opportunity for Gaza to be governed by an independent professional authority." The group uses the term "prisoner exchange" to refer to the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian security service prisoners, including terrorists convicted of killing Israelis.
The US did not inform Israel about the efforts to release Alexander until a deal with Hamas was reached, a source familiar with the details of Alexander's release told The Times of Israel.
Hamas released 30 hostages—20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai citizens—and the bodies of eight killed Israeli captives during a truce from January to March. At the end of November 2023, during a week-long truce, the terrorist group released 105 civilians, and before that, four hostages were released in the early weeks of the war. In exchange, Israel released about 2,000 Palestinian terrorist prisoners, security service detainees, and Gaza residents suspected of terrorism detained during the war.
Photo: The New York Times