Hamas says will free Israeli-American hostage held in Gaza
The announcement comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s Middle East trip this coming week
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.
US 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.