Hamas agreed to releaseEdan Alexander, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen believed to be the last living U.S. citizen who remains captive in Gaza,weeks after saying it had lost contactwith the group holding him hostage. His release is part of "the steps being taken to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid," Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' negotiating team, said in a statement Sunday. Al-Hayya did not provide information on Alexander's condition. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, confirmed the agreement to NBC News and said he is traveling to Israel to secure Alexander's release. "We are picking him up probably tomorrow," Witkoff said. "There was a long negotiation with lots of people to thank." He went on to describe this as a gesture of goodwill toward President Donald Trump, adding that it is a big moment "in large part" because of Trump. "The family is ecstatic," Witkoff said. Alexander was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, along with roughly 250 others. Hamaspreviously agreed to release Alexander in Marchalong with the bodies of four other dual nationals. But weeks later the militant group said it lost contact with group holding him. At the time, Hamas blamed the issue on Israeli strikes that hit the area where Alexander was allegedly being held. Hamas and Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire in January, which led to the release of hostages in exchange for freeing Palestinians in Israeli custody. It also saw an influx of aid for Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. But the fragile ceasefire fell apart in March after negotiations stalled on how to expand the pause in hostilities into a sustainable end to the war.
