The release is expected at 6.30 pm local time, the result of negotiations between the extremist movement and the US administration, rekindling the hope of the families of the other hostages. But Netanyahu is adamant in his opposition to any negotiations with Hamas. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is getting worse. In Jerusalem, a second peace summit is held with the participation of Arab and Israeli peace movements.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – In a few hours, at the latest at 6.30 pm, local time, Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, an army soldier in the hands of Hamas since 7 October 2023, will be released.

Yael Alexander, the young man's mother, arrived in Israel from the United States and spoke to the media at Ben Gurion Airport calling for the release of all prisoners because the task "isn’t over,” she said. “We cannot rest and we cannot forget, everyone needs to come home.”

Over the weekend, the leaders of the extremist movement said that the release would occur either today or tomorrow.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu made it clear that there are no plans for a ceasefire, only a pause for the hostage’s safe return. The military campaign will continue, despite the worsening humanitarian emergency and appeals for peace launched yesterday by Pope Leo XIV in his first Regina Caeli in St Peter's Square.

US President Donald Trump, expected tomorrow in the Middle East, also spoke about the release. “American hostage thought dead, to be released by Hamas. Great news!” he said.

The deal was reached after four-way talks between Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, which could pave the way for the release of the remaining 59 hostages held in the Gaza Strip for the past 19 months.

Edan Alexander, a 20-year-old army soldier, has dual Israeli and US citizenship, grew up with his family in New Jersey (USA) and, after completing his high school studies, chose to serve in the Israeli Defence Forces, in the Golani Brigade.

On 7 October  2023, when Hamas attacked, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 civilians and soldiers, it triggered a harsh response by the Jewish state that resulted in the invasion of Gaza.

The brutal war, which is still ongoing, has caused a serious humanitarian crisis and the death of over 52,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas sources, most of them civilians, including women and children. In addition, the Palestinian enclave has suffered huge devastations, most of it is literally demolished.

During the agitated phases of the attack against his base, the young man managed to text his mother, telling her that he was injured, with shrapnel wound to his legs from explosions, but that he had managed to take cover in a safe area.

The family lost contact around 7 am and, for a long time, waited for certain news about his fate.

In November last year, Hamas released a video in which Edan appeals to the then newly elected President Trump for his release. The US leader is expected tomorrow on an official visit to three Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia.

Announcing the young man’s release, the first of a male soldier since the 7 October attack (so far, the few soldiers freed were all female), Hamas leaders confirmed their willingness to negotiate a final agreement. The plan includes an exchange of prisoners with a permanent truce and a new government in Gaza.

In a statement released today, the Islamist group said that Edan's release is part of efforts to reach a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid to a population exhausted by almost 600 days of war. At the same time, the group is open to a new administration in Gaza, entrusted to an independent and qualified body.

For its part, the US is continuing its effort to release all the hostages, alive or dead. “It’s a positive step forward and we would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken,” said Donald Trump's special envoy on hostages Adam Boehler.

The US special envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff also arrived in Tel Aviv today, for the final touches of the deal to free the Alexander but also the other hostages held by Hamas.

The news of the release of the 20-year-old soldier has brought some confidence to the families of the other hostages held in Gaza, who have criticised the Israeli government’s handling of the situation in recent weeks.

For the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government prefer war over negotiations with Hamas for the release of prisoners still in Gaza for political opportunism and ideological reasons.

“Now is the time to bring about a breakthrough in negotiations. The responsibility lies with the Israeli government,” the Forum added. “Nobody can be left behind.” If the information is correct, Edan’s return “must be the start of a single agreement that will return all 59 hostages”.

The prime minister, they note, “must immediately fulfil the supreme moral obligation – and the demand of the vast majority of the Israeli public – to bring everyone back,” the Forum noted. 

However, the prime minister has made it abundantly clear that he will not negotiate and that Hamas will have nothing in exchange for the release of the hostage, while the war continues.

The United States informed Israel of Hamas's intention to release soldier Edan Alexander as a gesture of respect for the Americans, “without any compensation or conditions”.

“The US conveyed to Israel that this move is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of additional hostages, based on the original Witkoff framework – which Israel has already accepted”.

Nevertheless, Israel's policy remains that negotiations would be conducted "under fire, based on the commitment to achieve all of the objectives of the war,” the Prime Minister's Office added.

A new report published recently confirms the tragic situation in Gaza where about 2.1 million people are at risk of famine after 19 months of war, forced displacement and the blockade of humanitarian aid.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger scale used by the United Nations and many humanitarian agencies, at least half a million people in the enclave are in grave danger.

“Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks," the IPC says, adding that the "risk of famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible - it is increasingly likely”.

Finally, voices are also rising in Israel from those who oppose Netanyahu and his religious ultra-right ministers, starting with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Recently, a peace summit was held at Jerusalem’s International Convention Center, the second of its kind since 7 October 2023 attack, bringing together thousands of people calling for an end to the conflict and a two-state solution. They include former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and French President Emmanuel Macron, who addressed the gathering remotely.

Those present were united in support for an agreement with Hamas in exchange for the release of prisoners and serious negotiations to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Each one of us here can act to end the war, towards a comprehensive deal and the creation of a new leadership for both peoples,” said Maoz Inon, whose parents were murdered by Hamas in their Netiv Ha’asara home on 7 October 2023.

“We are here with you not despite the pain, but because of it. Instead of revenge on behalf of my parents who are no longer here, I am choosing a different future for my children,” Inon added.

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