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.
The bodies that will be released are of dual-national hostages, the Associated Press reported. 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.
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
Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, presented to Israel and Hamas a U.S. proposal for extending the ceasefire by several weeks in exchange for more hostage releases from Hamas and the resumption of humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip, Axios reported Thursday, citing sources with direct knowledge of the plan.
"While Israel has accepted the Witkoff proposal, Hamas remains firm in its refusal and has not moved an inch," Netanayhu said Friday. "At the same time, it continues to employ manipulations and psychological warfare."
Last week, Witkoff told reporters outside the White House that "Edan Alexander is very important to us as all the hostages are."
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 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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-President-elect Donald Trump.
AFTER TRUMP THREAT, HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE MORE HOSTAGES WITHOUT PHASE 2 CEASEFIRE DEAL
A few days after the video’s release, Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, spoke with "Fox & Friends First," calling the film "very emotional" and "disturbing." He said it was the first time they had seen a sign of life from their son since he was taken hostage.
Trump warned Hamas earlier this month to "Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you."
"A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!" Trump said.
At the time, Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua reportedly said the "best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages" is through negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
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 adminsitration. His commitment to bringing our loved ones home has given us hope during this darkest of times.
"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, Rachel Wolf and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.