Hamas transfers Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander to Red Cross
On Monday afternoon, Hamas freed Edan Alexander, a US-Israeli hostage who had been held in Gaza since October 2023.
The handover took place in Khan Younis – in the southern Gaza Strip – amid direct talks between Hamas and the United States aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, News.Az reports citing France24.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump on Monday for helping to secure Alexander's release.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said that in a phone call, he "thanked President Trump for his assistance in the release of (Israeli military) soldier Edan Alexander".
Alexander was snatched from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas's cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.
His release is the first since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March, when it unleashed fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds.
Some fifty-eight hostages remain in captivity, about 24 who are said to be alive and the remaining are deceased.
Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the 2023 attack were freed in ceasefire deals.
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