Hamas is set to release the last surviving American hostage in its custody despite slow progress on a potential second ceasefire agreement with Israel, Reuters reported Monday.
Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldier, is reportedly set to be released from Hamas custody despite the terror group’s protracted negotiations with Israel as they advance deeper into the Gaza Strip. Hamas reportedly is letting Alexander go as a gesture of goodwill toward President Donald Trump as 59 hostages remain in the Hamas captivity, a source told Reuters.
“EDAN ALEXANDER, AMERICAN HOSTAGE THOUGHT DEAD, TO BE RELEASED BY HAMAS. GREAT NEWS!” Trump said on Truth Social Monday.
The majority of the hostages have either been returned during a brief ceasefire deal lasting from January to March, or died in captivity. The IDF has moved further into Gaza than at any point in the war, with top Israeli defense officials reportedly drawing up plans for a full-scale occupation of the war-torn territory, sources told Bloomberg in April.
Hamas has reportedly struggled to pay its fighters amid shortening supply chains and Israeli pressure. The war has raged for over two years since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people while also taking 240 hostages.
As of April 17, Israel seized nearly half of all land in Gaza after the initial ceasefire fell through in March.
Trump is set to negotiate with various Arab nations this week, with Israel being a crucial chess piece in the president’s foreign policy goals in the region.
The White House and the Israeli government did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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