Hamas released Edan Alexander, believed to be the last living U.S. citizen held hostage in Gaza, Monday as President Trump departed Washington for a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, officials said. Alexander was transferred to the Red Cross and then later to the Israel Defense Forces.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s government “will assist in his absorption and will accompany him and his family.” Netanyahu’s office posted a video of Alexander being transferred into IDF hands.
“The Israeli government is committed to the return of all the kidnapped and missing — both the living and the dead,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Mr. Trump rejoiced over Alexander’s release. “Congratulations to his wonderful parents, family, and friends!” he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Israeli Defense Forces / IDF / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images 
Hamas, a U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group, said Sunday evening that it would release Alexander without conditions in the hope of working toward a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and renewing the flow of vital humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territory. On Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement, without identifying Alexander, that it had “successfully facilitated the safe transfer of a hostage from Gaza to Israeli authorities.”
Alexander, who is now 21, grew up in New Jersey before moving to Israel, where he was serving in the Israeli military on Oct. 7, 2023 when he was abducted during the Hamas-orchestrated attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
In February, CBS News spoke to Alexander’s mother, Yael, who said she was doing all she could to fight for her son’s release and keep going for her other children.
“It’s not easy, but you know what, I’m taking strength from my kids to be ok and to wake up every morning and to put clothes on … to smile for them, to hug them, to tell them how much I love them and to give them also a lot of hope that Edan is okay.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed the news of Alexander’s release and said they’d be organizing a march at the U.S. embassy in Israel on Monday to demand “a breakthrough and comprehensive agreement” to bring the remaining hostages home.
Mr. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed to CBS News that he’d be traveling to the region ahead of Alexander’s release, and local media said he had arrived earlier on Monday.
Hamas said Sunday the decision to release Alexander came after “contacts with the U.S. administration over the past few days,” and that the group was ready to “immediately begin intensive negotiations to exert serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war, establish a mutually agreed-upon prisoner exchange, and have the Gaza Strip administered by an independent professional body. This would ensure long-term calm and stability, along with reconstruction and the lifting of the blockade.”
In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump called the move “a step 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 and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones. Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”
Netanyahu’s office had said in a statement that “Israel did not commit to any ceasefire or to the release of terrorists, but only to a safe corridor that would allow for Idan’s release.” Israel’s government uses that spelling of Alexander’s first name.
“We are in critical days when Hamas is faced with a deal that will allow for the release of our hostages,” the prime minister’s office said. “Negotiations will continue under fire and while preparations are being made to intensify the fighting.”
Israel has been preventing the entry of food and medical aid into Gaza for nearly three months, with aid groups saying malnutrition is rising across the enclave. Food security experts said in a report published Monday that the population of Gaza was facing a critical risk of famine.
“The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation” the group Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said in a report. “With the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip, the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to access populations in dire need, an anticipated escalation in hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of Famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible — It is increasingly likely.”
Also on Monday, Israeli strikes were reported on a school-turned-shelter in the area of Jabaliya in Gaza, killing 16 people — mainly women and children — according to the Hamas-run ministry of health there.
Kathryn Watson
contributed to this report.
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