Hamas said on Friday it agreed to release the last living Israeli American hostage, Edan Alexander, as well as the bodies of four other dual national hostages.
The announcement did not specify when the transfer would occur, as mediators negotiate the next steps in the long-term peace process. It also remains unclear what Hamas wants in exchange for their release, and there have been several instances during negotiations of deals failing to come to fruition.
In Hamas’s statement, the group said it received a proposal from moderators, whom it didn’t specify, and its response included freeing Alexander and the bodies of the other four hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he will convene his ministerial team on Saturday “for a detailed briefing from the negotiating team.” His office warned that Hamas “continues to wage psychological warfare against hostage families.”
The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have acted as mediators throughout the conflict. The sides were able to institute a six-week ceasefire proposal in January that expired at the beginning of March, and negotiators have made little progress in securing a long-term agreement to rebuild Gaza and end the cycle of conflict.
The primary disagreement concerns who or what should govern Gaza and oversee its reconstruction. Israel and the U.S. have said it’s not an option for Hamas to remain in power, which the U.S.-designated terrorist group has done for more than 15 years, while the group wants to survive the war intact.
President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Qatar earlier this week as mediators try to end the conflict and figure out the postwar governance and reconstruction plan for Gaza. Last week, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler was in the region as well, and he met with Hamas officials directly, which frustrated Israeli officials.
Alexander was 19 when he was kidnapped during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Hamas still holds 59 hostages, and the Israeli government believes as many as 24 of them are still alive.
Israel announced earlier this month it would stop allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and cut off electricity to the Gaza Strip. Critics of Israel and Palestinian advocates have alleged that the decisions amount to collective punishment, which is a war crime, while Israel and its supporters argue that it does not have an obligation to aid its enemy, Hamas, even though Palestinian civilians are affected by the Israeli government’s decisions.
ISRAEL CUTS OFF GAZA AID TO PRESSURE HAMAS TO ACCEPT NEW CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL
Trump issued his “last warning” to Hamas last week that it needs to release the hostages or face additional consequences, though he hasn’t specified what that could include.
