Hamas frees US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, as Israel says no ceasefire
The agreement to release Edan Alexander came after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel.
- Fighting paused to allow for Alexander's safe passage, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
- The release, after talks between Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, could open the way to freeing the remaining 59 hostages held in Gaza.
- Beyond that, "Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.
- Israel's Channel 12 said Alexander's condition was "low" without citing a source.
JERUSALEM − Hamas released Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza, paving the way for a possible return to ceasefire talks for the war-torn enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Alexander's freedom had been won through military action and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Israelis gathered along a roadside at dusk on May 12 to cheer as an 8-vehicle convoy brought Alexander, the last American held by the Islamist militant group, to a military base in the southern city of Reim, not far from the Gaza border.
Israel's Channel 12 said Alexander's condition was "low" without citing a source.
Earler, Al Jazeera television showed a photograph of Alexander standing next to masked fighters and a Red Cross official. Unlike in previous hostage releases, he was wearing civilian clothes. Alexander was expected to be received at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for treatment after 19 months in captivity.
The announcement came as Netanyahu said there would be no ceasefire and plans for an intensified military campaign would continue.
Fighting was paused to allow for Alexander's safe passage, Netanyahu said earlier.
Netanyahu's office said it had been informed by the United States of an agreement to release Alexander on May 11, after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel.
Netanyahu said Alexander's release came thanks to Israel's military pressure in Gaza and political pressure by Trump.
The Israeli leader said he spoke with Trump on Monday and the U.S. president expressed commitment to Israel, according to a statement by Netanyahu's office.
Alexander's release was presented to Israel as a goodwill gesture from Hamas to President Donald Trump and came as a global hunger monitor said Gaza's entire population is at critical risk of famine.
"Edan Alexander, American hostage thought dead, to be released by Hamas. Great news!" Trump wrote in capital letters on his social media platform on May 12.
The release, after four-way talks between Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, could open the way to freeing the remaining 59 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, 19 months after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
However, Netanyahu said Israel had agreed only to allow safe passage for Alexander, and its forces would continue recently announced preparations to step up operations there. Israeli police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the war on Hamas must not end and aid should not be allowed into Gaza.
"Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind," Netanyahu's office said, adding that military pressure had forced Hamas into the release.
An Israeli strike had earlier killed at least 15 people sheltering in a school housing displaced families in Jabalia in northern Gaza, local health authorities said.
Israel's military said it had targeted dozens of Hamas militants at the site, who it said were preparing an attack on Israeli forces.
Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt said the agreement to release Alexander was an encouraging step towards a return to ceasefire talks.
Trump is due to visit Gulf states on a trip that does not include a stop in Israel.
Alexander's family thanked Trump and Witkoff, saying in a statement that they hoped the decision would open the way for the release of the other remaining hostages.
"We urge the Israeli government and the negotiating teams: please don't stop," they said.
Israeli jitters over Trump
U.S. officials have tried to calm fears in Israel of a growing distance between Israel and Trump, who last week announced an end to U.S. bombing of Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have continued to fire missiles at Israel.
Israel's government has faced criticism over the deal, which laid bare the priority given to hostages able to rely on the support of a foreign government.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is among 21 hostages still believed to be alive, said Netanyahu was choosing his political survival over ending the war.
Addressing Trump in a statement she read with other hostage families, she said: "The Israeli people are behind you. End this war. Bring them all home."
Netanyahu, who was due to testify in the latest session of his trial on corruption charges that he denies, has faced pressure from hardliners in his cabinet not to end the war. Last week, he announced plans to step up the operation in Gaza, which officials said could be seized entirely by Israeli forces.
Following a ceasefire agreement that halted fighting in Gaza for two months and allowed the exchange of 38 hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails, Israel resumed its operation in the enclave in March.
Since then, it has extended its control of the territory, clearing around a third of what it has described as a "security zone" and blocking off the entry of aid into Gaza, leaving the 2 million population increasingly short of food.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee last week outlined plans for a new system of aid deliveries by private contractors that would not be run by Israel, but many details are unclear, including on funding.
Israeli forces invaded Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led assault on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed, Palestinian health authorities say, and large swathes of the enclave have been devastated.