Hamas says it will release Israeli American Edan Alexander, held hostage in Gaza

Varda Ben Baruch holds a photo of her grandson Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander during a rally of families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip on April 20 in Nir Oz, Israel. Amir Levy/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Amir Levy/Getty Images TEL AVIV, Israel — Hamas says it will release Israeli American Edan Alexander from Gaza as a step toward reaching a ceasefire agreement with Israel, according to a statement on the militant group’s Telegram channel. Alexander is a 21-year-old Israeli soldier with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship who was captured while on duty in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He is the last remaining American citizen held by Hamas in Gaza who is believed to still be alive. The bodies of four other Americans are still held in Gaza, according to the U.S. Sponsor Message In the statement, Hamas said it had been holding secret talks with the U.S. for the last several days, and that Alexander “will be released as part of the steps taken to establish a ceasefire.” It said his release would come as part of ceasefire efforts to open Gaza’s border crossings and bring aid to Gaza after more than 10 weeks of an Israeli blockade that international humanitarian groups say is driving rampant hunger in the territory. State of the World from NPR Investigating One of the Deadliest Moments of the War in Gaza President Trump took to social media on Sunday to confirm the agreement with Hamas on Alexander’s release, saying that it was made to “put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.” Israeli officials have not yet commented publicly on whether they were aware of the talks, but a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the U.S. had “informed Israel of Hamas’s intention to release soldier Edan Alexander as a goodwill gesture to the Americans, without any conditions or compensation.” It said Israel is “preparing for the possibility” of his release. Earlier this year, both Hamas and the U.S. confirmed that the two parties had been holding direct talks starting as early as January — in a major shift in American policy, as the U.S. had not engaged directly with Hamas since it designated it a terrorist organization in 1997. It has been a long-standing U.S. policy to not negotiate with groups it designates as terrorists. Sponsor Message Qatar and Egypt — two countries who have played key roles in negotiation efforts between Israel and Hamas throughout the war, along with the U.S. — issued a joint announcement welcoming the release of Alexander, calling it a “encouraging step” toward a ceasefire in Gaza. The announcement about Alexander’s possible release comes shortly before Trump departs for the region to visit Arab allies in the Gulf on Monday, in his first overseas trip during his second term. He is not expected to visit Israel, but is expected to discuss the future of Gaza with Arab leaders. Hamas has not yet said when Alexander would be released, although Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, told NBC news on Sunday that he is traveling to Israel, and “picking him up probably tomorrow.” He said the release was happening largely because of President Trump. Witkoff’s office did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment. Politics Trump has his old friend Steve Witkoff leading his toughest diplomatic talks There are 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, including Alexander, more than half of whom are believed to be dead, according to Israel. Hamas had released 38 hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel under a ceasefire deal that began on Jan. 19. But Israel’s military broke that ceasefire in March, after negotiations between the two parties failed to produce an extension of the truce. Israel has since gained control of about a third of Gaza’s territory, and has imposed a complete blockade while continuing a deadly and destructive air campaign throughout. Earlier this month it said it planned to expand its offensive there. Gaza health authorities say more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since the start of the war in October 2023. About 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the Hamas-led attacks that month and some 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israel. Sponsor Message Kat Lonsdorf reported from Washington, D.C., and Daniel Estrin reported from Tel Aviv. Itay Stern contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Ahmed Abuhamda contributed from Cairo and Nuha Musleh from Ramallah.