Hamas Says It Will Free Last Surviving US Hostage

Statement doesn't specify when the 21-year-old will be released
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 11, 2025 3:30 PM CDT
Hamas Says It Will Free American Edan Alexander
Freed Israeli hostages and family of hostages still in Gaza pose for a photo following a statement to journalists marking 100 days of US President Trump's time in office in Tel Aviv on April 28. Bottom row from left: Freed hostages Keith Siegel, Naama Levy, Omer Shem Tov, Doron Steinbrecher. Top row...   (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Hamas said Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, will be released as part of efforts to establish a ceasefire, reopen crossings into the Israeli-blockaded territory, and resume the delivery of aid. The Hamas statement on Sunday night does not say when the release will happen, the AP reports. Alexander is an Israeli-American soldier who grew up in the US. He was abducted from his base during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in southern Israel that ignited the war in Gaza. The announcement came shortly before President Trump travels to the Middle East this week, though he is not planning to visit Israel.

There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office; his government was angered by direct talks between the US and Hamas earlier this year. Khalil al-Hayyah, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said the group has been in contact with the US over the past few days. Al-Hayyah said in a statement that Hamas is ready to "immediately start intensive negotiations" to reach a final deal for a long-term truce that would include an end to the war, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and hostages in Gaza, and the handing over of power in Gaza to an independent body of technocrats.

Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff have frequently mentioned Alexander, now 21, by name in the past few months. "Every time they say Edan's name, it's like they didn't forget. They didn't forget he's American, and they're working on it," Edan's mother, Yael Alexander, told the AP in February. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages in Gaza. Just 21 of them are known to be alive, per Axios. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Four of the hostages who died were American citizens: Itay Chen, Gadi Haggai, Judi Haggai, and Omer Nuetra.

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)

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