Yael Alexander, attending a Feb. 22 rally in Tel Aviv for families and supporters of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, holds a poster of her son, Edan, who was captured by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. (Maya Alleruzzo/AP)
Hamas has agreed to release hostage Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli dual national and Israeli soldier who is believed to be the last American being held alive in Gaza, along with the bodies of four other dual citizens, according to Hamas officials and a statement issued Friday by the Palestinian militant group.
Hamas is offering to release Alexander to kick-start a 50-day extension of the Gaza ceasefire’s first phase, a Hamas official told The Washington Post. In return, Hamas is demanding that negotiations with Israel over the deal’s second phase — which would include provisions for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to the war in exchange for the release of remaining hostages — begin on the same day as Alexander’s release, according to two Hamas officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic talks.
It was not immediately clear whether the proposal would be accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has resisted discussing the deal’s second phase and considering a permanent end to hostilities in Gaza before the elimination of Hamas. But the offer by Hamas amounts to a variation of a proposal initially presented by President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. By releasing American hostages, it appears to be an effort by Hamas to appeal to Trump while pressuring Netanyahu.
In response, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement accusing Hamas of employing “manipulations and psychological warfare.” Netanyahu accused Hamas of blocking progress on the ceasefire but said a ministerial team would meet Saturday night to “receive a detailed report from the negotiation team and decide on the next steps for the release of the hostages.”
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The Trump administration and others have been ratcheting up pressure on the two sides to agree to some kind of an extension to the Gaza ceasefire. The ceasefire in Gaza lapsed earlier this month after holding for six weeks and securing the release of 33 hostages.
Trump played a key role securing the initial ceasefire in January and sent Witkoff back to the region this week to support continued talks. He reportedly presented a proposal to mediators that would extend the ceasefire for several weeks in return for additional hostage releases.
Also earlier this month, Trump hostage envoy Adam Boehler met directly with Hamas officials in the Qatari capital, Doha, in an effort to revive stalled negotiations. The move infuriated some Israeli officials, and the Trump administration has since said the meeting was a one-off.
The Hamas statement Friday said the group would release Alexander alongside the bodies of four other dual-national hostages, without identifying their names or other citizenships.
Netanyahu’s supporters have been heavily critical of the direct talks between the United States and Hamas since they were revealed last week, characterizing them as negotiations that legitimized the designated terrorist group and bypassed a key actor in the conflict — Israel. The talks, they said, also presented Hamas an opportunity to drive a wedge between Netanyahu and Trump.
Hamas’s offer to release Alexander and dual nationals, but not Israelis with sole citizenship, could heighten domestic pressure on Netanyahu, who has been pressed by opposition leaders and hostage families to cut a deal with Hamas to bring all of the hostages home and end the war.
In a statement Friday, the Hostage Families Forum group, which represents many of the families, again called for an “immediate and comprehensive deal to secure the release of all hostages.”
Hamas and Israel have accused each other of violating the ceasefire a number of times since the agreement was announced. Israel has objected to how Hamas has released hostages, often staging the events for use as propaganda. Hamas has accused Israel of not allowing enough aid and relief supplies into the territory.
But while the agreement’s first phase ended earlier this month, full-scale conflict has not resumed in Gaza. The two sides were supposed to begin talks to define the ceasefire’s second phase weeks ago. Those talks are expected to be much more complex than those that have occurred so far, as the second phase will require agreements on issues like the future of Hamas and governance in Gaza.
Alexander, 21, was stationed at a border post near Gaza when he was taken by Hamas militants during their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. A New Jersey native, Alexander joined the Israel Defense Forces after graduating from high school.
Two other Americans, Sagui Dekel Chen and Keith Siegel, were among dozens of civilian hostages released in the first phase of a ceasefire that began in January. Of the more than 250 hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, 24 are still believed to be alive.