Hamas to release hostage following direct talks with US
DOHA
Following recent direct talks in Doha, Qatar, between Hamas and U.S. representatives, Hamas on May 11 said it would release U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.
"Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual U.S. national, will be released as part of efforts towards a ceasefire" in Gaza and the reopening of aid crossings, Hamas said in a statement.
The statement does not say when the release will happen. The announcement comes shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump visits the Middle East this week. Trump is not planning to visit Israel.
Hamas and U.S. representatives held direct talks in Doha in recent days, two officials from the Palestinian group said on May 11, with one saying there had been "progress" towards a truce in Gaza.
"Direct talks have taken place in Doha between the Hamas leadership and the United States regarding a ceasefire in Gaza, a prisoner exchange and the entry of humanitarian aid," said a senior Hamas official, adding that the talks "are still ongoing."
A second official from the Palestinian group said there was "progress made... notably on the entry of aid to the Gaza Strip."
The second official also reported progress "on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."
Hamas continues to hold 58 hostages seized during the group's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel ended the last ceasefire, which lasted two months, on March 18, launching a major offensive in Gaza and ramping up its bombardment of the territory.
It has also cut off all aid to Gaza, saying it would pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have taken place from the early months of the war without bringing it to an end.
Washington had for decades refused publicly to engage directly with Hamas, which it labels a terrorist organisation, before first doing so in March.
Hamas has continued to insist on a deal that ends the war and on April 18 rejected an Israeli proposal for a 45-day truce and hostage-prisoner exchange.
Hamas's 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on May 11 that at least 2,720 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,829.