Hamas said Friday that he agreed to release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander the last living US citizen in the extremist group’s prisoners, as well as the bodies of four more dead dual prisoners.
Details on whether Hamas’ agreement to release Alexander, now 21, was conditional and it was not immediately clear when he was released.
The extremist group announced the decision in a statement posted on Telegram on Friday, adding that it is ready to begin negotiations to commence the second phase of its ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Talks about maintaining a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continued in Doha, Qatar. The first phase ended without an agreement on commencing the second phase of the contract, bringing a pause to the war in Gaza.
The White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately comment on the statement as of early Friday.
The Trump administration has held a direct meeting with Hamas on the release of US hostages, which are still held in the Gaza Strip, the White House said earlier this month.
Hamas said the leader received a proposal from mediators on Thursday to resume negotiations and on Friday morning that he “responsibly and positively responded.”
Hamas is believed to still hold the remains of Israeli-Americans. Israeli-American Itai Chen, 19, Omer Nutra, 21, Judith Weinstein, 70, and her husband, Gaddy Haggai, 72, are prisoners of war.
Edan Alexander, who grew up in New Jersey and volunteered to serve the Israeli army, is the last living hostage of US citizenship. He was stationed outside Gaza on October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks took about 250 hostages during the terrorist attack that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
Since then, more than 48,500 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip after Israel launched a widespread military attack on the Palestinian enclave, according to local health authorities, but about 70% of the territorial infrastructure has also been destroyed, according to the UN.
The current ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on January 19, requires the second phase of the remaining 59 hostages of Hamas prisoners to be released in the second phase, during which a plan to end the war will be negotiated.
With the first phase of the Cerefire ended without a second phase agreement, Israel pressed Hamas to accept an extension of the first phase on its behalf, demanding the release of half of the remaining hostages in exchange for guarantees of negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas said he would like to begin negotiations at the second phase of the contract. This will see people looking at the retreat of Israeli forces and, ultimately, the end of the war, as well as the detained hostages.
