Hamas will release the last living American-Israeli hostage and the remains of four other dual-national hostages after receiving a proposal from mediators to continue negotiations on the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal. Edan Alexander (pictured left), 21, will be released along with the bodies of four other hostages who died in captivity, Hamas has claimed. Hamas said in a statement today that it responded ‘positively’ to the proposal that was presented on Thursday to resume negotiations.

The group did not immediately specify when the release of soldier, who has been held hostage for 525 days, or the bodies would occur. Other countries party to the agreement did not immediately confirm the terror group’s statement. Alexander, who was just 19 when he was abducted during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, is thought to be the last living American hostage. He appeared in a Hamas propaganda video (pictured) in November 2024. Israel says four other American hostages died in captivity.

Although he grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, Alexander decided to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces after he graduating high school. Hamas’ statement comes as talks continue in Doha to try to broker the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the first phase of which ended two weeks ago. ‘Yesterday, a Hamas leadership delegation received a proposal from the brotherly mediators to resume negotiations,’ a Hamas spokesperson said in a statement.

The group added its reply ‘included its agreement to release the Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, along with the remains of four others holding dual citizenship.’ Hamas official Husam Badran, in a separate statement, reaffirmed what he said was the organization’s commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in all its phases, warning that any Israeli deviation from the terms would return negotiations to square one. Pictured: Hostage Omer Wenkert being released from Hamas captivity.

American President Donald Trump ‘s special envoy Steve Witkoff (pictured) told reporters at the White House early in March that gaining the release of Alexander was a ‘top priority’. For weeks, the soldier’s mother Yael Alexander has been watching the release of hostages from Gaza, hoping she soon might see her son’s name on a list of those to be freed. ‘This is a critical time,’ Yael said last month. ‘I know my son is probably in tunnels, so I understand that he’s not seeing sunlight, and the air is very thin underground.’ She added: ‘It’s very, very difficult for me to even think about it.’

Since his abduction, Alexander’s relatives have divided their time between Israel, Washington, DC, where they meet frequently with politicians, and their New Jersey home. Yael, who has participated in rallies demanding for the hostages to be released, previously said that Trump’s commitment to her son’s release sparked hope. ‘Every time they say Edan’s name, it’s like they didn’t forget. They didn’t forget he’s American, and they’re working on it,’ she said.

The U.S., Qatar , and Egypt have been trying to bridge differences between Hamas and Israel to restart negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire deal in order to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza and facilitate the entry of aid into the war-torn enclave. Israel is pressing the militant group to accept an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire.

Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on March 2 as a standoff over the truce escalated, with Hamas calling on Egyptian and Qatari mediators to intervene . Hamas says it wants to start negotiations on the ceasefire’s more difficult second phase, which would see the release of remaining hostages from Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace.

Fighting in Gaza has been halted since January 19 under the first phase of the three-phase ceasefire accord. Hamas has exchanged 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The second phase involves talks over an agreement for the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the enclave. Israel demands that Hamas free the remaining hostages without beginning phase two negotiations.

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