The last living American held captive in Gaza has been released in a move it is hoped will pave the way for a return to ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
Edan Alexander, 21, was handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza on Monday afternoon and was later transferred to the Re’im base in Israel by a special Israeli military unit.
Fighting stopped at midday in Gaza after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would pause its operations to allow safe passage for Mr Alexander’s release.
Mr Alexander was held hostage for more than 19 months in the Gaza Strip after he was taken from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas’s cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.
His release is the first since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March, unleashing fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds.
It could open the way to freeing the remaining 58 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas said freeing him was a “goodwill” gesture.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Mr Alexander’s release was a “ray of light and hope” but urged the Israeli government to secure the freedom of the 58 remaining hostages.
“Without bringing everyone home, there can be no true victory, no healing, and no rebuilding as a nation. The return of all hostages is our generation’s most urgent and critical mission,” a spokesperson said.
Qatar and Egypt said Mr Alexander’s release was an encouraging step towards new truce talks. Israel will send a delegation to Qatar on Thursday to discuss a new proposal aimed at securing further hostage releases, Mr Netanyahu’s office said.
But Mr Netanyahu has insisted that Israel’s planning for an expanded military campaign in Gaza will continue, as one of his coalition partners, national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said the war on Hamas must not end and that aid should not be let into the enclave.
Exiled Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya earlier said the release of the dual national from New Jersey had been jointly coordinated by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
“The movement affirms its readiness to immediately start intensive negotiations and make serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war [and] exchange prisoners in an agreed-upon manner,” Mr Hayya added.
Israeli forces invaded Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led assault on Israel on 7 October 2023 that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed, Palestinian health authorities say, and large swathes of the territory have been devastated.
