Edan Alexander was released after spending 583 days captive.
By Catholics for Catholics
After 583 days of holding an American captive, Hamas released a 21-year-old man, a Hamas spokesman said.
The New York Times reported that the release of Edan Alexander was brokered between Hamas and the United States, which mostly circumvented the Israeli government.
Edan Alexander is to be released, said Palestinian politician Khalil Al-Hayya, according to Vatican News. Alexander is the last known American who was been held hostage and is among 59 hostages held in Gaza.
Al-Hayya, who is the head of the Hamas negotiation team said the armed group has been in touch with the Trump Administration over the last few days, conducting talks that “showed high positivity.”
Alexander’s release is one of the steps taken toward a ceasefire agreement, Al-Hayya said. Other steps would be the opening into Gaza to enable humanitarian aid to enter, after an Israeli blockade that lasted 70 days.
Hamas announced that Alexander’s release is one of the steps towards a ceasefire deal – other steps would include opening the crossings into Gaza and enabling humanitarian aid to enter the enclave, following an Israeli blockade which has lasted 70 days.
Al-Hayya called this step as a confirmation of “readiness to immediately start intensive negotiations and make serious efforts to reach a final agreement to stop the war.”
Still, the office of Israel’s Prime Minister said that it has not committed to a ceasefire, only to a safe passage to release the last known living American hostage.
The United Nations has kept stressing the importance of lifting the blockades to the Gaza Strip to allow humanitarian aid. The UN has reported about 10,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children since the beginning of the year.
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