Trump welcomes Edan Alexander’s release as act of “good faith”
Hamas will release Edan Alexander on Monday, as the Palestinian group confirmed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards securing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and restoring the flow of humanitarian aid to a suffering Palestinian population.
“Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US national, will be released as part of the steps taken towards a ceasefire, reopen the crossings, and deliver aid and relief to our people in the Gaza Strip,” the group said in a statement on Sunday, in a move that US President Donald Trump said was taken “in good faith”, and it might also be the first of the “final steps” needed to end the war.
Alexander, 21, was serving in an occupation’s elite infantry unit on the Gaza border and is known to be the last surviving American captive in Gaza.
Hamas also expressed its willingness to enter immediate and intensive negotiations aimed at reaching a final ceasefire agreement, a mutually agreed prisoner exchange, and the formation of an independent professional body to govern Gaza.
The group’s announcement comes shortly before the US president’s visit to the Middle East this week. Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff have frequently mentioned Alexander by name in the past few months.
On Sunday, Witkoff sharply criticized Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he is “prolonging the war, even though we do not see where further progress can be made.”
Recent media reports have highlighted growing tensions between Trump and Netanyahu, with the Trump administration signalling that it may take its own independent steps on Middle East policy.
