Masked gunmen free last surviving American hostage

Hamas has released the last living US citizen held in Gaza, in what Trump called a "goodwill gesture". Young soldier Edan Alexander was reunited with his family at the border with Israel after masked militants handed him over to the Red Cross.

Hamas has unilaterally released the last US citizen it is holding in Gaza, Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, in what Donald Trump called a “goodwill move” toward ending the war and bringing home all remaining hostages.

The release of Alexander, 20, an IDF soldier with dual citizenship who spent 584 days in captivity after being captured at his base on October 7, 2023, was agreed with little Israeli involvement other than some practical coordination on the ground, The Guardian reports.

No ceasefire was agreed in Gaza over his return, although Israel suspended fighting from midday to allow a transfer of power, after UN-backed experts warned that half a million Palestinians were at risk of starvation in Gaza due to Israel's weeks-long siege.

The freed captive was dressed in civilian clothes when masked gunmen handed him over to a Red Cross worker. He was taken to the border with Israel, where after an initial inspection he was met by a family that had flown in from the United States. After his release, Edan told Israeli soldiers that he and other hostages had been handcuffed in a cage inside the tunnel, Israeli Kan television reported.

Hamas said in a statement that the Palestinian Islamist group released Alexander "after contacts with the US administration to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings and deliver aid to our people in Gaza."

“We call on the Trump administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war,” Hamas said in a statement.

Trump celebrated the release with a post on the social media site Truth on Monday afternoon. “Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage, has been released. Congratulations to his wonderful parents, family and friends!”

In a previous post, Trump described the hostage release as “a step taken in good faith toward the United States and the efforts of the mediators – Qatar and Egypt – to end this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and the remains of their loved ones.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his role in Edan’s release, but also credited the Israeli military and his own government’s military strategy. “This was achieved through our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure exerted by President Trump. It’s a winning combination,” he said in a statement.

Throughout the war, the Israeli leader has insisted that military pressure is the best way to ensure the hostages return home, even as Trump has stepped up calls for a deal to end the conflict.

Alexander's release came on the eve of Trump's first trip to the region since his re-election, with Israel conspicuously absent from his agenda, and after a series of harsh public comments about the country's leadership.

Trump's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, denied on Monday that relations with Israel's most important ally were strained. "Forget the rumors. We are 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, which brokered Alexander's release, called it an encouraging step toward new truce talks. Following the soldier's return to Israel, Netanyahu also said he had sent negotiators to Doha to discuss a possible deal on Gaza ahead of a planned new Israeli offensive there.

For now, the Israeli leader appears to be caught between Trump’s desire for a deal and pressure from his coalition partners to continue the war, The Guardian notes. His government relies on support from far-right parties that want Israel to continue fighting, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who vowed earlier this month that “Gaza will be completely destroyed” and its Palestinian population will “leave in large numbers.”

But Trump, who previously pleased Netanyahu's far-right allies by backing plans to force Palestinians out of Gaza, has not publicly criticized Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader may be hoping that the Republican Party's strong support for Israel and other pressing demands on Trump's attention, from the conflict in Ukraine to tariff negotiations with China, will distract the American leader from Gaza, even if the fighting continues.

Crowds gathered at Tel Aviv's Hostage Square to watch the video of Alexander's release and to call for the return of the other hostages. After Alexander's release, Trump said only 20 were still alive, a number the Israeli government would not confirm. Relatives and supporters called on the government to make a breakthrough to bring back the 58 others still in Gaza.

Others were more strident. Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, who was briefly held with Alexander, called the prime minister “the angel of death” and called for mass protests to force him out of 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 make the dead disappear,” she said. “Instead of saving lives and bringing everyone back, he chose to turn our loved ones into corpses.”