Edin Alexander, hostage to the United States of Israel, was released more than 19 months in captivity, says Hamas

Hamas said it fired AlexanderWho is believed to be the last American citizen to live in Gaza on Monday, while President Trump left Washington for a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Hamas, a terrorist group dedicated to the United States and Israel, said on Sunday evening that it would launch Alexander without circumstances in the hope of working towards a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and renewing the flow of vital humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territories.

Alexander, who is now 21 years old, grew up in New Jersey before moving to Israel, where he was serving in the Israeli army on October 7, 2023 when he was kidnapped during the Hamas attack that raised The war in Gaza.

In February, CBS News spoke to Alexander’s mother, Yael, who said she was doing everything in her power to fight to release her son and continue her other children.

“It is not easy, but you know what, I take strength from my children to be fine and to wake up every morning and put clothes … to smile for them, hug them, and tell them how much I love them and also gave them a lot of hope that he will be so good.”

The hostage and families forum welcomed the news of Alexander’s launch and said that they would organize a march at the American embassy in Israel on Monday to demand a “comprehensive achievement and agreement” to bring the remaining hostages home.

President Trump Steve Wittakov assured CBS News that he would travel to the area before the launch of Alexander, and local media said he had arrived early on Monday.

Hamas said on Sunday that the decision to release Alexander came after “contacts with the American administration during the past few days”, and that the group was ready “to start extensive negotiations immediately to practice serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war, and create a long agreed calm, agreed and stable.

In a post on his social platform, President Trump described the move “a step that has been taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators – Qatar and Egypt – to put an end to this very brutal war, restore all living hostages and stay on their loved ones. We hope that this is the first of those recent steps needed to end this brutal reproduction.”

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying: “Israel has not committed to any ceasefire or the release of terrorists, but only for a safe passage that allows the release of Aidan.” The government of Israel uses this dictation of the first name of Alexander.

The Prime Minister’s office said: “We are in the critical days facing Hamas as a deal that allows the release of our hostages.” “Negotiations will continue under the fire, while preparations are made to intensify the fighting.”

Israel prevents the entry of food and medical assistance to Gaza for about three months, where relief groups say that malnutrition is rising through the pocket. Food security experts said in a report published on Monday that Gaza residents are facing a decisive danger to famine.

The classification of the integrated food security phase said in a report: “All population faces high levels of acute food insecurity, where half a million people (one in five) face famine.” “With the expansion announced in military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, the inability of the continuous humanitarian agencies to reach the population is in urgent need, the expected escalation of hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of famine in the Gaza Strip is not only possible.”

Also on Monday, Israeli strikes were reported in a school that turned to the school in the Gabalia region of Gaza, killing 16 people-especially women and children-according to the Hamas-running Ministry of Health there.