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Hamas said it had handed over Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander to the Red Cross in Gaza ahead of his imminent release to Israeli forces.
The exchange, which took place in the city of Khan Younis, was billed by the Palestinian militant group as a goodwill gesture to Donald Trump ahead of the US president’s arrival in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a visit to the region.
Alexander, 21, was seized by Hamas while serving in the Israeli military during the group’s cross-border assault from Gaza on October 7 2023, which triggered the latest conflict.
The Israeli military appeared to halt most offensive operations in Gaza earlier on Monday in an attempt to secure the handover.
Yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the release — secured directly between US officials and Hamas — did not include any “conditions or anything in exchange”.
Alexander is believed to be the last living American national still being held captive in the strip, alongside 58 other hostages. Israel believes more than half of those to be dead, including four dual Israeli-American nationals.
He is the first hostage to be released since a previous ceasefire-for-hostage deal ended in March, after which Israel broke the truce with Hamas.
Israel’s offensive has killed more than 52,000 people since the war began, according to local officials, with Israeli officials saying 1,200 were killed during the October 7 attack and some 250 taken hostage.
This is a developing story
[English News]
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