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Hamas says it will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander

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Twiglets1 · 12/05/2025 05:57

CAIRO, May 11 (Reuters) - 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.

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.

U.S. 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.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-will-release-israeli-american-hostage-edan-alexander-group-says-2025-05-11/

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sualipa · 12/05/2025 07:55

Qatar who have bankrolled and supported Hamas have given this jumbo jet palace to Trump and we hear that Trump maybe be building a billion dollar hotel in Saudi and 'doing a deal' with Iran and the Houthis so no wonder many Israelis are crying foul and sell out all over social media. The idea that Trump was always Israel's friend like all past US President's was a stretch and now we see that the orange one has his price. I suspect this hostage deal is all part of this. Extraordinary times - getting cucked by Netanhayu no longer strokes Trump's ego.

https://archive.ph/gDBFz

Original poster
Twiglets1 · 12/05/2025 06:16

Also reported by the BBC: Hamas to release US-Israeli hostage as part of efforts to reach Gaza ceasefire

Hamas says it will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who is believed to be the last living captive with US nationality in Gaza, as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.

The decision comes ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East on Tuesday. Hamas said it was also intended to facilitate a deal for the entry of humanitarian aid. Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for 70 days.

Earlier a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the Palestinian armed group was holding direct negotiations with a US administration official in Qatar.

The Israeli PM's office said it had not committed to any ceasefire but only to a "safe corridor" for Mr Alexander's release.

Benjamin Netanyahu's office said preparations to intensify fighting were still continuing, and the release of Mr Alexander had been made possible because of military pressure on Hamas.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations with the US in Qatar told the BBC that Hamas's announcement was intended as a goodwill gesture before Trump's arrival.

He said another meeting between Hamas and the mediators was scheduled for early Monday morning to finalise the process of Mr Alexander's release, which would require a temporary halt to Israeli military activity and a suspension of aerial operations during the handover.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2q7749dxlo

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Original poster
Twiglets1 · 12/05/2025 06:01

.From the same article: Hamas had released 38 hostages under a ceasefire that began on January 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 offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarized. 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 will expand its Gaza offensive.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Hamas bore sole responsibility for the war as well as for the resumption of hostilities.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-will-release-israeli-american-hostage-edan-alexander-group-says-2025-05-11/

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