Hamas announced Sunday it would release American-Israeli Edan Alexander, a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who was captured during the October 7, 2023 attacks. The development follows the resumption of direct contacts between Hamas and Washington—talks that briefly took place earlier this year after President Donald Trump returned to office.
Notably, Israel was not involved in the negotiations that led to Alexander’s release.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday ahead of Alexander’s release. On Sunday, Israeli media reported that Witkoff, during a meeting with families of other hostages still held by Hamas, expressed criticism of Israel’s current war strategy.
“We want to bring the hostages home, but Israel is not willing to end the war. Israel is prolonging it, despite the fact that we don’t see where else we can go and that an agreement must be reached,” Channel 12 quoted sources present at the meeting as saying.
The Israeli government reportedly had no knowledge of the negotiations that led to Alexander’s release, according to further local media reports.
The announcement is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration signaling a pivot toward diplomacy in the region, as tensions appear to be mounting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last week, reports indicated that Trump had severed direct communication with Netanyahu. The U.S. also halted its bombing campaign in Yemen after reaching an agreement with Ansar Allah—commonly referred to as the Houthis—despite the group making no commitment to cease attacks on Israeli targets and shipping. The U.S. had initially resumed its bombing in March to prevent further attacks.
Trump is said to believe Netanyahu was attempting to draw the United States into a broader conflict with Iran.
Later this week, President Trump is scheduled to travel to the Middle East to meet with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Syria. Reports suggest he may be preparing to announce U.S. recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
In response to growing tensions, Netanyahu reportedly said Sunday that Israel may need to “detox from U.S. security assistance.”