Israeli-American Edan Alexander, who was held hostage for 19 months in Gaza, was released in a goodwill gesture by Hamas on Monday as President Trump headed to the Middle East.
The restored freedom for Mr. Alexander, 21, engendered hope for a new ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas during Mr. Trump’s visit to the region.
“We hope that we’re going to have other hostages released, too,” Mr. Trump said in the White House shortly before departing for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Trump, who is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is not scheduled to stop in Israel.
Israel has said 58 hostages remain in captivity, with roughly 23 of them being alive. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the 2023 attack were freed in previous ceasefire deals.
Mr. Alexander was turned over to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces. He was 19 when he was abducted from an Israeli military base during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on the Jewish state that killed at least 1,200 people and set off the war.
Wearing shirts emblazoned with his name, Mr. Alexander’s extended family gathered in Tel Aviv to watch the release. They cheered and chanted his name when the military said he was free. His grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, beamed. In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, hundreds of people broke out into cheers.
In his hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, hundreds of supporters packed the streets, holding signs with his image and listening to speakers blasting Israeli music. As they watched the news of his release on a large screen, the crowd hugged and waved Israeli flags. Since he was taken hostage, supporters there gathered every Friday to march for the hostages’ release.
Hamas announced Sunday that it intended to set free Mr. Alexander.
Mr. Trump said his release was “hopefully … the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”
“I am grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen. This was 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,” the president wrote on social media on Sunday.
Mr. Alexander’s release was the first since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March, unleashing fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds.
Israel promised to intensify its offensive, including by seizing the territory and displacing much of its population again. Days before the ceasefire ended, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave, deepening a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings about the risk of famine if the blockade isn’t lifted. Israel says the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement on Israel’s terms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and discussed efforts to release the remaining hostages, his office said.
“To this end, Prime Minister Netanyahu directed that a negotiations team leave for Doha tomorrow,” the prime minister’s office said, adding that Netanyahu had “made it clear that the negotiations would only take place under fire.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing relatives of hostages, welcomed the news that an Israeli delegation was headed to Doha for talks.
“While Edan Alexander’s release gives us hope, all 58 of our loved ones must come home. Time is running out. These negotiations must bring everyone back,” the group said in a statement. “Trump’s plan offers a real path to freeing all hostages immediately. Every passing day puts their lives at greater risk. We cannot wait any longer.”
On Monday, a statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office said Israel was not granting any concessions for Mr. Alexander’s release.
The statement said Israel did not commit to a ceasefire or the freeing of Palestinian prisoners as part of the release and that it had only agreed to create a “safe corridor” to allow for Mr. Alexander to be returned.
The statement said Israel would carry on with plans to ramp up its offensive in Gaza. Israel says it won’t launch that plan until after Trump visits the Middle East, to allow for a potential new ceasefire deal to emerge.
• This story is based in part on wire service reports.
