Israeli-American Hostage Set to Be Released Monday

Stand for Israel  |  May 12, 2025

Hamas is framing it as a “goodwill gesture” to U.S. President Trump:

Hamas was set to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on Monday after over 580 days in captivity. The Palestinian terror group agreed to the move as a gesture of goodwill to US President Donald Trump ahead of his trip to the region, hoping that he will in turn coax Israel to sign a deal freeing the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war, a US official, a Palestinian official and a third source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Sunday.

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff called Alexander’s parents Yael and Adi on Sunday afternoon to inform them of the news, a US official said. The Alexanders flew to Israel with US hostage envoy Adam Boehler on Sunday night in order to arrive in time for Alexander’s release. Witkoff was slated to fly to Israel separately from Oman, where he held the fourth round of nuclear talks with Iran on Sunday.

“The entire family is now on the way to Israel,” Edan’s father, Adi, told the Ynet news site. “We were completely surprised to receive the call from Witkoff. We knew about the negotiations but not about such a dramatic development.”

Please pray for Edan Alexander’s safe release, and the release of all hostages held in terrorist captivity in Gaza.