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The last American held hostage in the Gaza Strip was released Monday in a goodwill gesture by Hamas as President Trump headed to the Middle East.
Israeli American Edan Alexander, who was held hostage for 19 months by the Palestinian terrorist group, was handed over to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces before being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities released video and photos showing a pale but smiling Mr. Alexander in an emotional reunion with his mother and other family members.
The restored freedom for Mr. Alexander, 21, engendered hope for a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas during Mr. Trump’s visit to the region.
“We hope that we’re going to have other hostages released, too,” Mr. Trump said in the White House shortly before departing for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but is not scheduled to stop in Israel.
Israel has said 58 hostages remain in captivity and that roughly 23 are alive. Hamas is believed to be holding the bodies of four dead American hostages.
Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the 2023 rampage were freed in previous ceasefire deals.
Mr. Alexander, a New Jersey native, moved to Israel when he was 18. He was 19 years old and serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was abducted from his military base during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on the Jewish state that killed at least 1,200 people and set off the war.
Wearing shirts emblazoned with his name, Mr. Alexander’s extended family gathered in Tel Aviv to watch the release. They cheered and chanted his name when the military said he was free. His grandmother Varda Ben Baruch beamed. In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, cheers erupted from hundreds of people.
In Mr. Alexander’s hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, hundreds of supporters packed the streets, holding signs with his image and listening to speakers blasting Israeli music. As they watched the news of his release on a large screen, the crowd hugged and waved Israeli flags. Since he was seized, supporters gathered every Friday to march for the hostages’ release.
Hamas announced Sunday that it intended to set Mr. Alexander free.
Mr. Trump said his release was “hopefully … the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”
“I am grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen. This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones,” the president wrote on social media Sunday.
Mr. Alexander’s release was the first since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March by unleashing fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds.
Israel promised to intensify its offensive, including by seizing Gaza territory and displacing much of its population again. Days before the ceasefire ended, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave, deepening a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings about the risk of famine if the blockade isn’t lifted. Israel said the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement on Israel’s terms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and discussed efforts to release the remaining hostages, his office said.
“To this end, Prime Minister Netanyahu directed that a negotiations team leave for Doha tomorrow,” the prime minister’s office said. It added that Mr. Netanyahu had “made it clear that the negotiations would only take place under fire.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing relatives of hostages, welcomed the news that an Israeli delegation was headed to Doha for talks.
“While Edan Alexander’s release gives us hope, all 58 of our loved ones must come home. Time is running out. These negotiations must bring everyone back,” the group said in a statement. “Trump’s plan offers a real path to freeing all hostages immediately. Every passing day puts their lives at greater risk. We cannot wait any longer.”
A statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office said Israel was not granting any concessions for Mr. Alexander’s release.
The statement said Israel did not commit to a ceasefire or the freeing of Palestinian prisoners as part of the release and that it had agreed only to create a “safe corridor” to allow for Mr. Alexander to be returned.
The statement said Israel would carry on with plans to ramp up its offensive in Gaza. Israel said it won’t launch that plan until after Mr. Trump visits the Middle East, to allow for a potential new ceasefire deal to emerge.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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