Hamas says it will release Israeli-American hostage and four deceased captives
Hamas said it has agreed to release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, the last living U.S. citizen in the militant group's captivity.
Hamas said Friday that it had agreed to release Edan Alexander, the last living U.S. citizen held hostage in Gaza, as well as the bodies of four dual-nationals.
Nothing has been finalized, Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman told NBC News. But he said that the militant group had agreed to a proposal put forward by mediators and was awaiting the results of further negotiations.
The decision to free Alexander, an American Israeli, was first announced in a statement posted to Telegram on Friday. It said that Hamas was ready to begin negotiations to start the second phase of its ceasefire deal with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that Hamas was engaging in “manipulation and psychological warfare.” It added that Netanyahu would convene his ministerial team on Saturday “to receive a detailed report from the negotiating team, and to decide on the next steps for the release of the hostages.”
Talks around maintaining the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continued in Doha, Qatar. The first phase ended without an agreement on starting the second phase of the deal, which has brought a pause to the war in Gaza.
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