Hamas releases Edan Alexander, the last living American Israeli hostage in Gaza
CBC
Edan Alexander, an American Israeli soldier held hostage for more than 19 months in the Gaza Strip was released Monday, Hamas said, in a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel.
The Israeli military confirmed shortly afterward on the social media platform X that one hostage has been handed over to the Red Cross and is "currently being accompanied by [Israel Defence Forces] special forces on his return to Israeli territory, where he will undergo an initial medical assessment and meet with his family."
"584 days later, Edan is finally home," the IDF wrote on X.
Alexander's release comes just ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the region this week.
Wearing shirts emblazoned with his name, Alexander's extended family gathered in Tel Aviv to watch the release. They cheered and chanted his name when the military said he was free. His grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, beamed. In a Tel Aviv plaza now known as Hostages Square, hundreds of people broke out into cheers.
Alexander was taken from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas's cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies, setting off the war in Gaza.
His release would be the first since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March, unleashing fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds over the last two months.
In total, Israel's campaign has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and reduced much of Gaza to ruins.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the Gaza Strip killed about 16 people in the embattled enclave, mostly women and children.
At least five children and four women were among those killed in the strike on a school in the Jabaliya area, the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service said, adding that a number of people were wounded.
The Israeli military blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying its fighters operate in densely populated areas. There was no immediate comment on the latest strike.
Israel has promised to intensify its offensive in recent days, including by seizing the territory and displacing much of its population again. Days before the ceasefire ended, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave, deepening a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings about the risk of famine if the blockade isn't lifted.
Israel says the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement on Israel's terms.
Israel says 59 hostages, including Alexander, had remained in captivity, with about 24 of them said to be alive. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the 2023 attack were freed in ceasefire deals.
