Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage in Gaza, has been released by Hamas, ending an 18-month ordeal that began with the militant group’s October 7 attack.
Hamas announced on Sunday night (Monday AEST) it had agreed to free Alexander, 21, after several days of talks with the United States as part of an effort to reach a ceasefire and resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The group handed Alexander to the Red Cross on Monday, and he returned to Israeli soil shortly later.
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He later arrived at an Israeli military base for a medical assessment and a long-awaited reunion with his family. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said he has spoken with his mother, Yael, over the phone.
Alexander’s release comes just one day before US President Donald Trump begins a Middle East tour, with stops planned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Indirect talks between Hamas and the US began five days ago, an Egyptian official and a senior Hamas official said, with both describing the release of Alexander as a gesture of goodwill.
A New Jersey native, Alexander was serving in the Israeli military near the Gaza border when he was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Alexander’s mother Yael described her son as “such an American kid, full of life, very funny, very friendly” in an interview with CNN in March.
Following Alexander’s release, 58 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with at least 20 believed to be alive. Among the deceased hostages are four American citizens, including husband and wife Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai, as well as soldiers Itay Chen and Omer Neutra.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Monday that “along with all the defence establishment, the Israeli government will support his reception and accompany him and his family”.
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“The government of Israel is committed to the return of all hostages and missing persons – both the living and the dead,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“We will continue operating tirelessly until the return of everyone home, to Israel.”
Alexander’s family described news of his impending release on Mother’s Day as “the greatest gift imagineable” and thanked Trump, his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the US administration for their “tireless work to make this happen”.
Alexander’s mother boarded a flight to Israel on Sunday night to meet her son after his release. A photo posted by US Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler showed Yael Alexander on a commercial flight with the envoy’s team.
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‘Monumental news’
Trump hailed the development as “monumental news” in a post on Truth Social, where he described Alexander’s release by Hamas as a “step taken in good faith toward 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”.
Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi told the Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV that the militant group, classified as a terrorist organisation by the US and Israel, directly negotiated with the US to free Alexander in exchange for the resumption of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Witkoff told CNN the talks with Hamas were indirect. He is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday afternoon, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Alexander was last seen in a proof-of-life video in mid-April in which he appealed directly to Trump for help in securing his release. Just days later, Hamas claimed they had lost contact with the group of militants holding Alexander.
Gaza is on the brink of famine as Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and commercial goods stretches into its second month, depleting food warehouses and soup kitchens, and sending the cost of basic goods skyrocketing.
Israel says it cut off the entry of humanitarian aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages. But international organizations say its actions violate international law, with some accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war – a war crime.
Israel has not said if it will resume humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Monday that Israel has not committed to a ceasefire, nor the release of any Palestinian prisoners, only to “a safe corridor that will allow for Edan’s release”.
In a post on social media Sunday night, Trump said he hoped the release would lead to the “end (of) this brutal conflict”. But the long-time Israeli prime minister has said that “negotiations will take place under fire”.
Alexander’s parents fought tirelessly for his release.
Speaking to CNN in March, Yael said she prayed and hoped she would see her son again.
“I’m a mum I just want to hold him again, and to say ‘Edan, you’re safe, you’re home’,” she said.
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