Hamas has freed the last living US citizen it held in Gaza, soldier Edan Alexander, in a unilateral move Donald Trump described as a “good faith step” towards ending the war and bringing home all remaining hostages.
The release of 20-year-old Alexander, a dual national serving in the Israel Defense Forces who spent 584 days in captivity after he was seized from his base on 7 October 2023, wasagreed with little Israeli involvement beyond practical coordination on the ground.
There was no ceasefire in Gaza for his return, although Israel paused fighting from midday for the handover, which came as UN-backed experts warned thathalf a million Palestinians face starvation in Gaza due to Israel’s weeks-long siege.
He was dressed in civilian clothes when masked fighters handed him to a Red Cross official. He was driven to the border withIsrael, where family who had flown over from the United States were waiting to meet him after initial check-ups.
He told Israeli soldiers after his release that he had been held handcuffed with other hostages, in a cage inside a tunnel, Israel’s Kan television reported.
Hamas said in a statement they had freed Alexander “following contacts with the US administration, to achieve a ceasefire, open crossings, and bring aid and relief to our people in Gaza”.
“We urge President Trump’s administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war,” the statement added.
Trump celebrated the release with a post on Truth Social on Monday afternoon. “Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage, is being released. Congratulations to his wonderful parents, family, and friends!”
In a previous post he described the release as “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”.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Trump for his role in Edan’s release but also claimed credit was due to Israeli forces and his own government’s military strategy.
“This was achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump. This is a winning combination,” he said in a statement.
The Israeli leader has insisted throughout the war that military pressure is the best way to ensure that the hostages return home, even as Trump stepped up calls for a deal to end the conflict.
Alexander’s release comes on the eve ofTrump’s first trip to the region since his re-election, with Israel conspicuously missing from his itinerary,and after a series of blunt public snubs to the country’s leadership.
Trump’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, denied on Monday that the relationship with Israel’s most important ally was strained. “Forget rumours. We’re all on the same page,” he said, after a meeting with Netanyahu and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s regional envoy which he described as “excellent”.
Qatar and Egypt, who mediated Alexander’s release, described it as an encouraging step towards new truce talks. After the soldier returned to Israel, Netanyahu also said he had ordered negotiators to Doha to discuss a possible deal for Gaza, ahead of a planned new Israeli offensive there.
For now, Israel’s leader appears trapped between Trump’s desire for a deal and pressure from his coalition partners to continue the war.
His government relies on the backing of far-right parties who want Israel to keep fighting, including finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who earlier this month vowed that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed” and its Palestinian population will “leave in great numbers”.
However Trump, who previously delighted Netanyahu’s far right allies by backing plans to force Palestinians to leave Gaza, has not publicly criticised Netanyahu.
The Israeli leader may be hoping that strong support for Israel from the Republican base and other pressing demand’s on Trump’s attention, from the war in Ukraine to tariff talks with China, will divert the US leader’s attention away from Gaza even if fighting continues.
Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to watch footage of Alexander’s release and call for the return of other hostages. Trump said after Alexander’s release that only 20 of those were still alive, a number the Israeli government has not confirmed.
Relatives and supporters called for the government to push for a breakthrough to bring back 58 others still in Gaza.
Others were blunter. Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker who for a time was held with Alexander, said the prime minister was an “angel of death” and called for mass protests to force him from office.
“Instead of ending the war and bringing everyone back, Netanyahu is preparing to expand the war this week. To execute the kidnapped who remain in captivity and to make the dead disappear,” she said. “Instead of saving lives and bringing everyone back, he chose to turn our loved ones into corpses.”