Hamas Monday said its armed wing handed over a US-Israeli hostage held in Gaza since October 2023 on Monday, ahead of a regional visit by US President Donald Trump.’The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades have just released the Zionist soldier and American citizen Edan Alexander, following contacts with the US administration, as part of the efforts undertaken by mediators to achieve a ceasefire,’ Hamas said in a statement Monday.A source close to tHamas said Alexander had been handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.It comes a day after Hamas revealed it was engaged in direct talks with Washington towards a ceasefire.’We affirm that serious and responsible negotiations yield results in the release of prisoners, while the continuation of aggression prolongs their suffering and may kill them,’ Hamas said in a statement.’We urge President Trump's administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war,’ it added.The liberation of Alexander — the last living hostage in Gaza with American citizenship — comes ahead of a visit to the region by Trump, who is due in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the president ‘for his assistance in the release’ of Alexander, a statement from his office said.Netanyahu also said he had instructed a negotiating team to head to Qatar on Tuesday to discuss the further release of hostages.The Israeli prime minister had earlier said that ‘Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists but only to a safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan’.
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