The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says Edan Alexander has crossed into Israeli territory with members of its military.
He’s on his way to an “initial reception point” in southern Israel where he will be reunited with his family, it adds.
Edan Alexander was handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross without public fanfare – no live cameras this time, or stage-managed ceremony.
But the release of this single Israeli-American soldier speaks volumes about the new pressures playing across the Middle East.
Hamas, under growing strain from Israel’s two-month blockade of humanitarian aid, is gambling on American goodwill to help push Israel into fresh negotiations on ending the war.
After speaking to US President Donald Trump today, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending a delegation to talks in Qatar, but insists that fighting in Gaza would continue.
Trump is due to arrive in the Gulf tomorrow for a tour focused heavily on trade deals. His government has shown it’s prepared to act privately, without coordination with Israel, in negotiating for American interests in the Middle East.
The release of Edan Alexander, secured through direct talks between Hamas and US officials, is evidence of that – and points to a new kind of American leverage and power.
American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, welcomed the release adding that he hopes it will mark the end of the terrible war in Gaza.
For his part, United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Gutierres, expresses his relief at his release while calling for an immediate ceasefire.
