Hamas Says It Will Release Last U.S. Hostage From Gaza
The deal to free Edan Alexander is part of a larger effort by the U.S.
Updated May 11, 2025 The Wall Street Journal
Key Points
Trump has prioritized the release of Edan Alexander, who was taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Hamas said on Sunday that it would release the last American hostage held in Gaza after discussions with the U.S. over a cease-fire and a deal to allow humanitarian aid to enter the strip.
In a statement, Hamas said Israeli-American Edan Alexander “will be released as part of the steps aimed at achieving a cease-fire, opening the crossings, and allowing humanitarian aid and relief into our beloved Gaza Strip.” It didn’t make clear what it would specifically receive in return for Alexander’s release.
“The U.S. would welcome that movement,” said a U.S. official, who added they hoped Alexander would be freed within the next 24 hours.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Israel on Monday to pick up Alexander, according to the official.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said that Alexander’s intended release is a “gesture to the Americans, without any compensation or conditions.” It also said that the U.S. informed Israel that the release is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of additional hostages.
“According to Israeli policy, negotiations will take place under fire with a commitment to achieving all the war goals,” the statement said.
The deal to release Alexander is part of a larger effort by the U.S. to get a temporary pause in fighting in place, allow for more hostages to be released and for Israel to resume allowing humanitarian aid into the enclave, said Arab negotiators. Since a previous cease-fire collapsed between Israel and Hamas in March, Israel has not allowed the entry of any humanitarian aid into Gaza. Aid groups are warning that the enclave is running dangerously low on food, fuel and medicine.
Some Gazans cheered and celebrated the news, believing it meant an end to the fighting could be close.
The deal to free Alexander comes just days before President Trump will take his first trip to the Middle East since being re-elected. The U.S. official said that the administration wanted to see Alexander released ahead of the trip. His continued detainment also proved a stumbling block in cease-fire negotiations for Gaza, the official added.
Alexander’s release ahead of Trump’s trip comes as he’s grown increasingly frustrated with the slow progress on ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. He’s made both a priority. He’s also issued ultimatums to Hamas, saying they need to release all the hostages or there would be hell to pay.
U.S. officials say Trump would prefer to broker a cease-fire diplomatically but isn’t convinced Hamas will release all of the hostages without military pressure. Trump has effectively given Israel the green light to advance throughout the whole of Gaza until Hamas changes course and lays down its arms, they say.
Trump has prioritized the release of Alexander, 21 years old, who was serving as a soldier along the border with Gaza when he was taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. But that push has made some in Israel concerned that the U.S. is prioritizing its own citizens over the lives of Israelis.
Einav Zangauker, the mother of another Israeli soldier held hostage, said her son Matan is being held with Alexander, and blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to secure a deal that would release all of the hostages. Some former hostages and families of hostages still held in Gaza have criticized the government for failing to do one deal that would free all the hostages at once in exchange for an end to the war.
“If Matan stays in the tunnel alone, Netanyahu is deciding to murder my child instead of releasing all of the hostages,” she said.
Hamas still holds more than 20 hostages believed to be alive, and over 30 more dead bodies, according to Israel. In addition to Alexander, the bodies of four Americans remain in the enclave.
Since their son was taken, the Alexander family has dedicated all their time to lobbying world leaders, especially the Trump administration, to bring their son home. They have Witkoff’s personal cellphone number and speak to him daily.
Before Trump took office for his second term, right-wing podcaster Ben Shapiro arranged a meeting between the Alexander family and Trump in New York. Trump believed at the time that most of the hostages were dead, and Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, informed him that they were actually alive, he told The Wall Street Journal.
Trump appeared to have been moved by the meeting, according to Shapiro and Adi Alexander.
“Whatever I can do, I’ll do for them,” Trump said on Shapiro’s podcast the day after the meeting, referring to the meeting. “But I can see the family’s just going through hell. It is very, very sad to see it.”
Write to Anat Peled at anat.peled@wsj.com, Summer Said at summer.said@wsj.com and Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com
Hamas said it would release the last American hostage in Gaza after discussions with the U.S.
The release is part of steps aimed at achieving a cease-fire and allowing aid into Gaza.