Hamas says it will release its last American hostage

JERUSALEM – Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, said Sunday night that it would free Edan Alexander, the last living American citizen held captive in the Gaza Strip, just days before President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in the region for the first major foreign tour of his second term.

In a statement, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ lead negotiator, did not say when Alexander would be released and what, if anything, Hamas would get in exchange.

But the Trump administration hoped Alexander would be released as soon as Monday, said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for the region. Palestinians have been bracing for a huge escalation of Israel’s renewed ground offensive in Gaza, while the families of Israeli hostages have expressed diminishing hope for a breakthrough to free their loved ones.

Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Alexander, 21, moved to Israel to serve in the military after high school. He was at a military post on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border in the surprise attack that ignited the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Alongside about 250 others, Alexander was abducted and taken to Gaza for use as a bargaining chip in future negotiations with Israel. More than 18 months later, 59 of them remain in the enclave. Dozens of them are presumed dead by Israeli authorities, including four U.S. citizens.

U.S. officials negotiated directly with Hamas leaders to secure Alexander’s release, breaking with the traditional U.S. boycott of the group, according to two Palestinians and a diplomat familiar with Hamas decision-making, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.