On Friday, Hamas announced that they had come to an agreement to free an American Israeli dual national, who is believed to be the last living U.S. hostage in Gaza. This comes as mediation efforts aimed at moving forward with a ceasefire deal that had hit a bit of a snag. Hamas had reacted “positively” to a proposal from mediators to restart talks on the second phase of the truce for the War in Gaza, which would also cover the release of the bodies of four other dual-nationality hostages.
Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old from New Jersey and a former member of the IDF, is the hostage in question. His release is reportedly considered a “top priority” for the United States, claimed Steve Witkoff, the special envoy for President Donald Trump. Recent negotiations between Hamas leaders and U.S. negotiator Adam Boehler have been mostly about his state and achieving his freedom.
Mediators from the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have been working hard to bridge the divide between Hamas and Israel in hopes of continuing negotiations. The first phase of the ceasefire, which has been in effect since January 19, led to Hamas releasing 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals in exchange for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The goal of the second phase is to negotiate a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, but Israel insists that all remaining hostages must be released before any discussions can begin.