Hamas says it agreed to release US-Israeli hostage, 4 bodies
Published in News & Features
Hamas said it was ready to release a living American hostage and four bodies, though it was unclear if the U.S. and Israeli governments sought such a move and whether they would accept it unconditionally.
The Palestinian militant group has agreed to “release Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, in addition to the bodies of four other dual nationals,” it said in a statement on Friday. It added that it was responding to a proposal from the mediators between itself and Israel — a group that includes Qatar, Egypt and the U.S.
“The movement affirms its complete readiness to begin negotiations” about a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Hamas said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.
Hamas didn’t specify if the four dead hostages were American-Israeli. The main Israeli forum for the hostages’ families said there are that number of deceased American-Israeli captives in Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has said that getting Alexander released is a priority. But while an American official recently held direct talks with Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by Washington — the White House insisted it would not seek a deal favoring Alexander over the other hostages still held in Gaza.
The U.S.-Hamas talks angered Israel and Washington has since signaled there won’t be any more direct negotiations.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Qatar this week to meet other mediators and Israeli negotiators. The U.S. is aiming to get all the roughly 60 remaining hostages released from Gaza and ensure a ceasefire that began in January does not collapse.
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