Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, said Sunday night that he would free the last American citizen live in Captive in Gaza, a few days before President Trump is expected to arrive at the region for the first important foreign tour of his second term.
Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas main negotiator, said in a statement that Hamas had agreed to free the hostage, Edan Alexander, 21, after the conversations with the United States. Hey, do not say when Mr. Alexander would be released or what he expected to receive Hamas in return.
Raised in Tenafly, NJ, Mr. Alexander, a dual Israeli dual citizen, moved to Israel to serve in the army after high school. Duration The attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the Palestinian militants kidnapped him from the military post where he was parked.
The announcement arrives at a crucial moment in the Middle East, where Trump is scheduled to land on Tuesday for a round of diplomacy. Trump is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar following the disagreements with Israel about conversations with Iran in its nuclear program.
The war in Gaza will hang heavy on Mr. Trump’s visit, just even if he is not visiting Israel. The Israeli government is threatening an important military offensive that would displace most people in Gaza unless Hamas surrenders and becomes their remaining hostages. Israel has already been blocking food and another helps Gaza for more than two months, the humanitarian crisis of the enclave.
Hamas has widely refused to free more captive, saying that Israel must first commit to a path to end the war. But in a possible effort to win favor with Mr. Trump, Hamas agreed to free Mr. Alexander as a gesture of good will, according to the United States official and another diplomat with a letter of conversations about the conversations, which spoke anonymously to discuss delicate negotiations.
The exact moment and the mechanism of the liberation of Mr. Alexander were still uncle. The Trump administration expected it to be released as soon as Monday, said the United States official. Mahmoud Mardawi, Hamas official, said the release will take place on the next day or two.
Duration The conversations, the United States promised to undertake “great efforts” to end the war in Gaza, said Mardawi.
“They asked us to free Alexander and comply with the application,” he said in a telephone interview. The Americans said, they had transmitted to Hamas that “war followed its course” and “had no justification.”
Mr. Alexander was one of the approximately 250 tasks of people, hostage duration in October. 7 Attack, which turned on the war in Gaza. The hostages were gaza tasks to use negotiation chips in future negotiations with Israel. More than 18 months later, 59 of them remain in the enclave. Theirs of them, including four American citizens, presume that the Israeli authorities are dead.
Mr. Alexander, Adi and Yael Alexander’s parents, have campaigned tirelessly for their release, meeting with officials and speaking in demonstrations. “We are living this day and again,” said Adi Alexander in an February interview, referring to the October 7 attacks.
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander traveled to Israel on Sunday night with Adam Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for Hostage response, Boehler said in a phone call. Steve Witkoff, the envoy of the Middle East of Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were fundamental to ensure the release of Mr. Alexander, he said.
Trump called the news of the imminent liberation of Mr. Alexander “a step in good faith to the United States” and said: “Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”
This year, the Trump administration broke with a long -standing American boycote policy to Hamas, which the United States has designated as a terrorist group. Mr. Boehler Hero Direct speaks directly with Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, in an attempt to ensure the freedom of Mr. Alexander, as well as the bodies of the four dead Americans. But they gave up in the midst of Israeli objections.
In previous rounds of negotiations, Hamas established a clear price to release more hostages: Israel must finally accept the war, withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip and release large amounts or Palestinian prisoners.
Duration The cessation of the two -month fire that began in January, Hamas delivered more than 30 hostages and the bodies of eight others, while Israel released more than 1,500 Palestinians retained in their prisons. Israel finished the truce in mid -March, saying that the conversations to secure the next steps in the agreement were blocked.
On Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Washington had formally notified Israel that the release of Mr. Alexander would be a “gesture for Americans” without “compensation or conditions.” The American official and the diplomat said that Hamas had agreed to free Mr. Alexander without specific demands in return.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office suggested, however, that Mr. Alexander’s release would not lead Israel to stop his military campaign in Gaza, at least for the moment. “According to Israeli policy, negotiations will take place as the fight continues,” said his office.
The announcement that the United States had assured a promise of freedom for Mr. Alexander caused hope in Israel. But he also led some Israelis to express frustration with his own government, which has failed to gain the freedom of the reminiscent hostages.
Mr. Netanyahu’s critics have asked him to accept an immediate agreement to end the war with Hamas and free the rest of the hostages. Mr. Netanyahu has maintained, arguing that saving the captives is less important than the “victory over our enemies.”
“The responsibility falls to the Israeli Government,” said the forum of Hostage Families, “a defense group that requires an agreement with Hamas.” No one should be left behind. “
Isabel Kershner and Fatima Abdulkarim Contributed reports.
