Hamas agreed Friday to release Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American, is set to be released alongside four other hostages as part of a deal proposed by mediators. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has confirmed that Alexander has been held captive for 525 days, with his release now imminent.
The bodies of the other hostages, who held dual nationality, will also be released, as reported by the Associated Press. The exact timing of this transfer remains unknown, but it coincides with ongoing discussions in Qatar aimed at finalizing the subsequent stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, following the previous phase’s conclusion on March 1.
Although Alexander mainly grew up in New Jersey, he was born in Israel shortly before his family relocated to the United States, as noted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
A few days after the video’s release, Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, spoke with “Fox & Friends First,” calling the film “very emotional” and “disturbing.” He said it was the first time they had seen a sign of life from their son since he was taken hostage.
Trump warned Hamas earlier this month to “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.”
“A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!” Trump said.
Donald Trump, is shown photos of Edan Alexander by his mother Yael Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
At the time, Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua reportedly said the “best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages” is through negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire agreement.Â
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Rachel Wolf and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
