Hamas said on Friday that he agreed to liberate Edan Alexander, an American Israeli soldier who was held in Gaza for 17 months, along with the remnants of another four hostages with two citizens. Israel immediately challenges the viability of the design, suggesting that the agreement is unlikely to be immediate.
In his statement, Hamas stated that he formally declared his willingness to free Mr. Alexander and others in response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire offered by the mediators without determining which of them. However, the Palestinian armed group did not say what it demands in exchange for prisoners or if it would turn five into Israel.
Hamas, head of Hamas, stated that the offer of the group has stipulated that Israel will release some Palestinian prisoners, restore assistance in Gaza and enter into interviews for another phase in exchange for Mr. Alexandra-packed for the last survivors with American citizenship-the remains of four other Americans-Israel.
Hamas was willing to discuss the number and identities of prisoners, said an official, if Israel accepted the offer for five Americans. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahua claimed that Hamas was dealing with “manipulations” and “psychological war”. Israel has already accepted a separate American offer that would see much more hostages that have been in exchange for an extension of the ceasefire, said Mr. Netanyah’s office in its statement.
Hamas’s gesture seemed at least partially as an appeal to President Trump, whose administration repeatedly demanded Mr. Alexander’s freedom. Last week, Adam Boehler – Trump’s selection for hostages – met Hamas officials in Qatar Doha to negotiate the release of Mr. Alexander and the body of four other Americans.
Hamas’s announcement could be Mr. Netanyahu with dilemma: refusing to bring home live and dead Americans held in Gaza – even at a steep price – could host members of Trump’s administration who clearly stated that Mr. Alexander and others were to be brought.
The mediators hoped that Israel and Hamas would have already agreed on other steps in the Gaza ceasefire that began in January. The second phase is to see the complex end of the Israeli campaign against Hamas, the complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of the remaining live hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
However, these interviews have seen little progress due to the rooted disputes between the two parties on the future of Gaza. Israel demanded that Hamas be removed from power, while Hamas seemed to hate to dissolve his flags of armed warriors or send his leaders to exile. Mr. Netanjahu’s right -wing allies also got upset to return to the fight against Hamas, which means that the end of the war could destabilize the clamping of the Prime Minister to power.
The direct meeting of Trump’s administration with Hamas was attended by the efforts of the Moribund ceasefire and broke with a flying American policy, which was to isolate the group by refusing to talk to it directly. The interviews were triggered by IRE in the Israeli government, which Mr. Boehler recognized during the round of television interviews this week.
Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister, later described Mr Boehler’s meetings as “one -off” that did not bring results yet.
However, the latest offer of Hamas was similar to what Mr. Boehler suggested last week in Doha, which included a plan to negotiate the second phase for the second phase and brought home the remaining hostages, said an American official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. This proposal was followed by the days of interviews Mr. Boehler performed in close coordination with Steve Witkoff, the ambassador of the Middle East, Mr. Trump, the official said.
According to the Israeli government, up to 24 living hostages and body are still in Gaza in Gaza. They include five Americans.
Hamas and other militant groups confiscated about 250 hostages, an attack on southern Israel, which lit a war in Gaza. More than 100 returned to Israel in agreements with Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli soldiers gained bodies of dozens of others during the invasion of Gaza.
In mid -January, Israel and Hamas signed a multi -phase ceasefire, during which 30 hostages and remains of eight others were replaced in the first six weeks. The release of others – as Mr. Alexander – was postponed until both sides closed the conversations about the foggy “second phase”.
Alexander grew up in Tenaphly, NJ, Israeli parents. After high school he moved to Israel to get into the army; He was kidnapped from the post where he was placed during an attack led by Hamas. Hamas published a video hostage with him last year.
The prospect that prisoners who hold another nationality – like Mr. Alexander – could be preferred that has already caused a furious terminating of relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Many of them demanded the only agreement that exempts all the remaining prisoners at once.
“If Israel insists to stop in the middle and leave his citizens behind – inform every Israeli mother that he has to get his son for a foreign passport, otherwise he will be abandoned,” Forum hostages, Advocacy Group, said in a statement.
