Hamas agrees to release Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage
Hamas agreed Friday to release Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American, will be released along with the bodies of four other hostages, according to a deal offered by mediators. As of Friday, Alexander has been held captive for 525 days, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
It’s unclear when the transfer will happen, but it comes as talks are ongoing in Qatar to establish the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the first phase of which ended on March 1. The bodies that will be released are of dual-national hostages, the Associated Press reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Friday that he will convene his ministerial team on Saturday to receive a detailed report from negotiators and decide on the next steps for the release of the hostages.
MEET EDAN ALEXANDER, THE LAST LIVING AMERICAN HOSTAGE IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY
Edan Alexander, born in Tel Aviv and raised in New Jersey, is currently being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (Hostage Family Forum)
The office of Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, and the National Security Council said in a joint statement that “President Trump has made it clear that Hamas will either release hostages immediately, or pay a severe price.”
“On Wednesday evening in Doha, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and National Security Council Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Eric Trager presented a ‘bridge’ proposal to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover, and allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire.
“Under the “bridge” proposal, Hamas would release living hostages in exchange for prisoners in accordance with previous formulas; the phase-one ceasefire would be extended to enable the resumption of significant humanitarian assistance; and the U.S. would work towards a durable solution to this intractable conflict during the extended ceasefire period,” it continued. “Through our Qatari and Egyptian partners, Hamas was told in no uncertain terms that this “bridge” would have to be implemented soon – and that dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would have to be released immediately.
“Unfortunately, Hamas has chosen to respond by publicly claiming flexibility while privately making demands that are entirely impractical without a permanent ceasefire,” the statement concluded. “Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not.”
Netanayhu also said Friday that “While Israel has accepted the Witkoff proposal, Hamas remains firm in its refusal and has not moved an inch” and “At the same time, it continues to employ manipulations and psychological warfare.”
Yael Alexander, the mother of hostage Edan Alexander, speaks during The ‘Run for Their Lives’ rally and run in Central Park on the 100th day since the October 7 attack by Hamas, on Jan. 14, 2024 in New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Fox News on Friday that “a delegation from the Hamas movement’s leadership received a proposal from mediators yesterday to resume negotiations, and responded responsibly and positively.
“The movement submitted its response early this morning, agreeing to release… Edan Alexander, who holds U.S. citizenship, along with the remains of four others with dual citizenship,” Naim added. “We reaffirm our full readiness to engage in negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the second phase, and call for obligating the occupation to fully implement its commitments.”
Though he spent most of his life in New Jersey, Alexander was born in Israel a few months before his parents moved to the U.S., according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
AFTER TRUMP THREAT, HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE MORE HOSTAGES WITHOUT PHASE 2 CEASEFIRE DEAL
Donald Trump, is shown photos of Edan Alexander by his mother Yael Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
After graduating from high school, Alexander decided he would enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rather than enroll in college.
On Oct. 7, Alexander, who was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, an infantry unit, was patrolling near Gaza when Hamas’ attacks on Israel began. The attacks ended with 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 hostages taken, including Alexander.
Yael Alexander, Edan’s mother, recounted the day he was taken hostage in a recent interview with AJC’s “People of the Pod.” Yael was in Israel in early October 2023, visiting her family and hoping to see Edan. On the morning of Oct. 7, she spoke with Edan, who said that he was seeing “terrible stuff,” but he assured her that he was safe. Then he was taken hostage.
On Nov. 30, 2024, more than a year after Alexander was captured, Hamas released a video of Alexander speaking in Hebrew and Arabic. Alexander, like other hostages forced to make propaganda videos, delivered messages about Netanyahu and then-President-elect Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is seen posing with a photo of Edan Alexander on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Friday that it “wholeheartedly welcomes the return of every hostage — whether they come home for rehabilitation or burial.”
“The return of any number of hostages must only be the beginning of an immediate and comprehensive deal to secure the release of ‘all hostages,'” it added. “As President Trump has assured our families and the world, and as he has stated time and again, the return of all hostages is a top priority for his administration. His commitment to bringing our loved ones home has given us hope during this darkest of times.
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“As of today, 59 hostages remain,” the group also said. “We pray every single day for a deal that brings every one of them home, immediately.”
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Trey Yingst, Rachel Wolf and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
