has announced it intends to release Edan Alexander, the last living US hostage in , as it strives to restart ceasefire talks.
The Palestinian militant group, listed as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the US, said on Sunday that it had held rare direct talks with US representatives in Doha.
Though the group did not say when Alexander’s release would take place, the announcement comes as President Donald Trump prepares to visit the region next week.
What do we know about the US-Hamas talks?
Hamas officials reported the talks to news agencies, saying they revolved around “a ceasefire in Gaza, a prisoner exchange and the entry of humanitarian aid.”
Khalil al-Hayyah, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said in a statement that Hamas is ready to “immediately start intensive negotiations” to reach a final deal for a long-term truce, which includes an end to the war, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages in Gaza and the handing over of power in Gaza to an independent body of technocrats.
“Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US national, will be released as part of efforts toward a ceasefire” in Gaza and the reopening of aid crossings, Hamas said in a statement.
Hamas took some 250 hostages when it carried out the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people. Some 58 hostages remain held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza on March 2, ending a two-month ceasefire and imposing a total blockade on the enclave.
Israel’s sustained military assault in Gaza has killed more than 52,800 Palestinians, according to figures from health authorities of Hamas, which runs Gaza. Numbers published by the agency are regarded as reliable by international organizations.
rmt/ (AFP, AP, Reuters)
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