Hamas said he would release US-Israel prisoners of war in Gaza. The group confirmed they are in person with the US to secure a ceasefire in the war-heavy enclave and re-spent aid to the suffering Palestinian population.
The Palestinian Group issued a statement on Sunday. “Edan Alexander, an American dual citizen, is released as part of the measures taken towards a ceasefire, and will resume the intersection and deliver aid and relief to the people of the Gaza Strip.”
Israel blocked all aid to Gaza, including food, medicine and fuel for 70 days.
Hamas’ statement did not indicate when 21-year-old Alexander will be released, but is expected to be in the next 48 hours.
Israeli media reported that US envoy Steve Witkov was in Israel on Monday as part of the contract.
The announcement comes just before President Donald Trump visits the Middle East this week. This does not include trips to Israel. Trump and Witkov have frequently mentioned Alexander by name for the past few months.
Witkov later confirmed that Hamas agreed to release Alexander in the hopes of resuming the ceasefire talks.
Growing up in the US, Alexander was taken from a military base during a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
In a statement on Sunday, Hamas said he was willing to “start intensive negotiations soon,” which would lead to an agreement to end the war and that Gaza could be seen under a technocratic and independent regime.
“This will ensure calm and stability over the years, along with the end of reconstruction and lockdown,” the group said.
Two main mediators, Qatar and Egypt, welcomed Hamas’ announcement, saying they saw the group’s move as a goodwill gesture and a step forward to encouraging parties to return to ceasefire negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that the US told Israel that Hamas’ liberation of Alexander would lead to negotiations for the release of more prisoners. The statement added that Israel’s policies have not been changed. With a continued commitment to achieving all war goals, negotiations take place under fire.
“Lots of questions”
Hamda Salhat of Al Jazeera, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said, “It is unclear exactly how Israeli government officials responded to these in-person talks between Hamas and the US. It was held in Gaza.”
“From many different angles, especially from the families of prisoners of war, there have been many questions from the majority of Israeli society, which have protested thousands over a period of over a year, and blamed Benjamin Netanyahu for extending the war for his own personal and political interests. She added that there are other goals and objectives that they need to achieve.
“Police families say the Israeli government is choosing to grab land over the lives of Israelis who are still being held in Gaza,” she continued, referring to the Israeli government’s decision to expand its attacks in Gaza to re-occupy parts of its territory.
Ongoing discussions in Doha
Earlier on Sunday, two Hamas officials told AFP news agency that consultations with the US were ongoing in Qatar’s capital Doha, and “progress” had been made.
Speaking about the talks with the US, one Hamas official said “progress occurred, particularly when aid was entered into the Gaza Strip,” and there was a potential exchange of Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s custody.
The second official also reported progress on “relating to the Gaza Strip’s ceasefire.”
Israel crushed the last two months of ceasefire on March 18, launching a major attack in Gaza, and strengthening the fires of the territory.
He also said that since March 2, it will cut off all aid to Gaza and put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining prisoners. They have not been released since a fleeting ceasefire earlier this year, when several prisoners of war were traded for Palestinian prisoners.
A total of 59 prisoners were still in Gaza, with a third of them being thought to be alive.
Due to Israel’s lockdown, hunger has settled across Gaza.
Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved plans to expand the attacks in the Gaza Strip, with authorities talking about maintaining a long-term occupation there.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday that at least 2,720 people have been killed since Israel resumed the attacks, resulting in the entire Palestine death toll since the war broke out at 52,829.