OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:31 PM – Sunday, May 11, 2025
On Sunday, Hamas disclosed plans to release Edan Alexander, the last American hostage in Gaza, to gain favor with President Donald Trump and secure a cease-fire deal.
The terrorist group claimed that it is willing to release 21-year-old Alexander, an American-Israel citizen from New Jersey, due to “intensified efforts to achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.”
Alexander was serving in the Israeli Defense Forces when he was taken hostage on October 7, 2023, after Hamas terrorists rushed the border, killing nearly 1,200 Israelis while taking 250 others captive.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the report, stating that Hamas will release Alexander “without any compensation or conditions.”
“The US conveyed to Israel that this move is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of additional hostages, based on the original Witkoff framework–which Israel has already accepted,” the prime minister’s office stated, referring to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff himself confirmed the news on Sunday, stating “we are picking him up probably tomorrow.”
“There was a long negotiation with lots of people to thank,” he continued, going on to state the successful release was “in large part because of Trump.”
Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday to facilitate Alexander’s release, and reportedly told the families of Gaza hostages that he disagrees with Israel’s current approach, according to The Times of Israel.
Witkoff reportedly told the families that the United States “wants to return the hostages, but Israel is not ready to end the war.”
“Israel is prolonging the war, even though we do not see where further progress can be made,” he reportedly stated, according to The Times of Israel report. “Still, there is currently a window of opportunity that we hope Israel and all the mediators will take advantage of. We are putting pressure on all the mediators and doing everything to return the hostages.”
An anonymous source speaking with the outlet stated that Hamas was assured the release of Alexander “would go a long way” with President Trump, potentially placing “all issues on the table,” including pressuring Israel into ending the war in Gaza, which could disrupt their plans to eradicate Hamas.
Meanwhile, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded to the news of Alexander’s imminent release, stating that it “must be the start of a single agreement that will return all 59 hostages.”
“There is only one moral, proper, and necessary agreement: the immediate return of all the hostages and the end of the war,” the forum stated. “Now is the time to bring about a breakthrough in negotiations. The responsibility lies with the Israeli government.”
Additionally, Egypt and Qatar welcomed the news that Hamas will release Alexander in a joint statement, calling his release a “gesture of goodwill and an encouraging step toward a return to the negotiating table to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and detainees, and ensure the safe and unhindered flow of aid to address the tragic conditions in the strip.”
The hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, have been held in captivity for over 500 days. Although 58 hostages remain in Gaza, Israel believes that just up to 24 of them may still be alive.
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