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Hamas on Monday released the American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, believed to be the last surviving American held by the Palestinian group in Gaza.
Mr Alexander was handed over to Red Cross staff in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, in what Hamas called a goodwill gesture a day before US President Donald Trump lands in the Middle East. The Israeli military confirmed it had received Mr Alexander, and said he had crossed the border from Gaza into Israel. He was being assessed at a hospital before reuniting with his family after almost 600 days in custody.
“The Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades [the armed wing of Hamas] released the captured Israeli soldier, Edan Alexander, a US citizen, a short while ago," a Hamas statement said. "This release followed contacts with the US administration, as part of the efforts being made by mediators to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings and allow aid and relief to reach our people in the Gaza Strip,” it said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the release a "very moving moment". He said it was "achieved thanks to our military pressure and the political pressure exerted by President Trump".
Mr Alexander, 21, was born and raised in New Jersey and moved to Israel to enlist in the military in 2022. He was serving in the army when he was captured by Hamas during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that started the war.
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the hostage release on Monday. "He is profoundly relieved that Mr Alexander has been freed and is now returning to his family and loved ones after this harrowing ordeal," a spokesman said.
The Red Cross confirmed it had taken part in the exchange. "We are relieved that one more family has been reunited today," said its president Mirjana Spoljaric.
"This nightmare, however, continues for the remaining hostages, their families, and hundreds of thousands of civilians across Gaza,” she said. "We urgently need political will to save lives and reinstate the ceasefire."
Hamas said it is ready to immediately begin negotiations on a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, ending the blockade, the exchange of prisoners and the reconstruction of Gaza. It had announced its intention to release Mr Alexander on Sunday, with Mr Trump set to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in the first official foreign trip of his second term.
Mr Trump called the planned release “a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators – Qatar and Egypt – to put an end to this very brutal war and return all living hostages and remains to their loved ones. Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration,” Mr Trump said on social media.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the 2023 attack on Israel, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Mr Netanyahu said on Monday that the release of Mr Alexander would not lead to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip or the release of Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli leader is facing growing criticism of his handling of the war, including from families of hostages.
Negotiations for a possible deal to secure the release of all hostages in Gaza would continue “under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting”, Mr Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. “Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists but only to a safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan,” Mr Netanyahu said.
Israel ended a two-month ceasefire on March 18, launching a major offensive in Gaza and ramping up its bombardment of the territory. It has also cut off all aid to Gaza, saying it would pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said on Monday that at least 2,749 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,862. Hamas's initial attack on Israel killed 1,200 people.
Hamas has continued to insist on a deal that ends the war and on April 18 rejected an Israeli proposal for a 45-day truce and hostage-prisoner exchange. In a statement on Sunday, the group said it was willing to “immediately begin intensive negotiations” that could lead to an agreement to end the war and would see Gaza under a technocratic and independent administration.
Before Mr Alexander's release, Mr Netanyahu said on Monday that he would send mediators to Qatar on Tuesday to discuss the release of hostages held in Gaza. Following a meeting with the US envoy Steve Witkoff and ambassador Mike Huckabee, "the Prime Minister instructed to send a negotiation delegation to Doha tomorrow", his office said in a statement.
