Hamas says Edan Alexander handed over to Red Crosspublished at 16:31 British Summer TimeBreaking
Hamas says it has handed over Edan Alexander to the Red Cross.
He will now be transferred out of Gaza and given to the Israeli military.
Summary
Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander has been handed to the Red Cross in Gaza, Hamas says
Alexander, 21, was serving in an elite infantry unit on the border with Gaza when he was captured during the 7 October attacks
Of the 251 hostages, 59 remain in Gaza, up to 24 of whom are believed to be alive
Israel says there will be "a safe corridor" in Gaza for Alexander's release, but has not committed to a ceasefire
President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East begins on Tuesday - he calls Alexander's scheduled release "great news"
A senior Palestinian official tells the BBC the Hamas announcement is intended as a goodwill gesture before Trump's arrival
Hamas also says the release is intended to facilitate an aid deal - Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for more than two months
Hamas says Edan Alexander handed over to Red Crosspublished at 16:31 British Summer Time
Handover to Red Cross to happen shortly - Israeli officialpublished at 16:20 British Summer Time
An Israeli official says that the Red Cross has now arrived at the handover location in Khan Younis - a city in the south of Gaza.
They add that that the handover of Edan Alexander from Hamas to the Red Cross will happen shortly.
Red Cross on way to collect Edan Alexander, Israel sayspublished at 16:11 British Summer Time
The Red Cross is on the way to the handover point in Khan Younis to collect Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, according to an Israeli official.
We’re resuming our live coverage here – stick with us for the latest updates.
Crowds - and family - wait for the return of Edan Alexanderpublished at 14:34 British Summer Time
Image source, EPAImage caption, Crowds in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv, earlier today
As we've just reported, Edan Alexander is now due to be released this evening. Reports in Israel suggest it could be at 18:30 local time (16:30 BST).
For now, we're pausing our live coverage - but we'll resume once we get news of Alexander's release.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Members of the Alexander family have arrived at the Re'im base in Israel, near Gaza, where Edan Alexander is due to be taken
Hostage return due to 'military pressure' - Israeli spokesmanpublished at 14:28 British Summer Time
Image source, GPOIsraeli government spokesperson David Mencer says the scheduled release of Edan Alexander is due to "relentless military pressure exerted by our brave IDF forces".
As we just reported, he says the "latest information" is that "Edan is now scheduled to be released this evening".
He reiterates that Israel hasn't agreed to a ceasefire or the release of "terrorists" and hasn't given Hamas any concessions.
He added that there is a "serious" deal on the table that will bring all hostages home.
Edan Alexander now due to be released this eveningpublished at 13:58 British Summer Time
BreakingWe've just heard from Israeli government spokesman, David Mencer, who says Edan Alexander is now due to be released this evening.
We'll have more from Mencer's announcement soon.
Edan Alexander's mother arrives in Israel for his releasepublished at 13:46 British Summer Time
Yael Alexander, the mother of hostage Edan, has arrived in Israel from the US and has spoken to local media from Ben Gurion airport.
She says the 58 remaining hostages (there are currently 59, including Edan) must be returned, adding "this isn't over".
“We cannot rest and we cannot forget, everyone needs to come home."
She also says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the strength to make a deal. "Now is the time," she adds.
After making the remarks, Yael reportedly boarded an Israeli military helicopter and flew to the Re'im base on the Gaza border - where the Israeli military is due to take her son once he has been released.
Image source, EPAImage caption, Yael and Adi Alexander, Edan's father, at an event hosted by US President Donald Trump earlier this year
Crowds gather in Edan Alexander's New Jersey hometownpublished at 13:11 British Summer Time
Image source, CBS NewsImage caption, A crowd in Tenafly, New Jersey, watching a livestream of the expected release
Crowds of people in Edan Alexander's hometown in the US are watching a public livestream of his expected release by Hamas.
Our US-partner CBS News has been to Tenafly, New Jersey to report on the gathering, which began in the early hours of the morning local time.
Returning hostages a 'sacred obligation', Israeli president sayspublished at 12:55 British Summer Time
Image source, Amos Ben Gershom / GPOImage caption, Israeli President Isaac Herzog with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Israeli President Isaac Herzog says Edan Alexander's impending release is being welcomed with "deep emotion and trembling hearts".
Speaking on a visit to Germany, he says Israel makes "no distinction between one citizen and another, and certainly not between those who hold a foreign passport and those who do not" - seemingly a reference to Alexander being a dual citizen with the US.
"The duty to bring back all the hostages is a sacred and holy moral obligation of the State of Israel," Herzog says.
"I cry out from here, loudly, to the family of nations: bring them home, now — every last one of them.”
Trump's Middle East envoy in Israel for hostage release - reportspublished at 12:50 British Summer Time
Image source, ReutersAs we have reported, US President Donald Trump is due to land in the Middle East tomorrow - but his special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff has already arrived in Israel, according to reports there.
Last night, the Alexander family said: "We express our deepest gratitude to President Trump, Steve Witkoff, and the US administration for their tireless work to make this happen.
"We urge the Israeli government and the negotiating teams: please don't stop. We hope our son's release begins negotiations for all 58 remaining hostages, ending this nightmare for them and their families."
Gaza at critical risk of famine, with half a million facing starvation - reportpublished at 11:43 British Summer Time
Image source, EPAImage caption, Gazans gather at a fish market on Monday morning to buy seafood
A new report says the entire population of Gaza - some 2.1 million people - is at critical risk of famine after 19 months of conflict, mass displacement, and the blockade of humanitarian aid.
According to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger scale used by the UN and many aid agencies, half a million people in the territory are facing starvation.
Israel has prevented any aid entering Gaza since early March, saying it's putting pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
"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".
The report, which was prepared based on work between 1 April and 10 May, says this represents a significant deterioration in the situation since its last analysis in October.
Trump's Middle East visit comes with Netanyahu under pressurepublished at 11:28 British Summer Time
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Tel AvivThe expected release of Edan Alexander happens a day before President Trump is due to arrive in the region. Families of the hostages who remain in Gaza, some of them gathered here in Tel Aviv, hope this moment will lead to a deal that results in all captives being freed, without further delays.
Hamas has described this decision as a goodwill gesture, and says it is ready to negotiate an agreement that includes the end of the war, a condition that has been repeatedly rejected by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
For a long time, critics of the prime minister have accused him of not being interested in a deal and of prolonging the war for political purposes – in particular, to please hardline members of the coalition that sustains his government.
In recent days, multiple reports have suggested that the Trump administration is increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu. This could result in pressure on Netanyahu to accept a deal, and he might be left with no other alternative.
After 19 months, public support in Israel for the war is falling, and the security cabinet’s decision last week to expand the military offensive if there is no deal by the end of Trump’s visit has been controversial, here and elsewhere.
How this will fundamentally change the situation on the ground remains unclear. With some of Netanyahu’s allies, including far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, speaking about seizing territory and occupying Gaza, many are questioning what his true intentions are.
Edan Alexander release 'great news', Trump sayspublished at 11:27 British Summer Time
BreakingUS President Donald Trump has just posted on his Truth Social platform about the release.
"EDAN ALEXANDER, AMERICAN HOSTAGE THOUGHT DEAD, TO BE RELEASED BY HAMAS. GREAT NEWS!"
In Gaza, Palestinians demand Israel ends its blockadepublished at 11:11 British Summer Time
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Palestinians receive hot meals distributed by charities in Khan Younis, Gaza on 2 May
As we await the handover of Edan Alexander, Gazans have called for an end to the Israeli blockade of the Strip.
"We demand the entry of aid, because we are starving, and we do not have food, flour or anything," Ayman Nassar, a Gaza resident, tells Reuters news agency.
Maher Al Jourani adds that Gazans don't want a "temporary ceasefire" but a permanent one.
"We are tired and hopeless...wishing for death... [it would be] better than living, due to scarcity," he tells Reuters.
Israel broke a two-month ceasefire on 18 March when it launched strikes on Gaza. Israel has also blocked the entry of food, medication, and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza for more than two months.
Aid agencies say it amounts to a policy of starvation and could be a war crime.
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its offensive in 2023, in response to Hamas's attacks on 7 October. The total includes more 2,500 killed since the Israeli offensive resumed in March.
Crowds gather in Hostage Square, Tel Avivpublished at 10:54 British Summer Time
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Tel AvivPeople are starting to gather in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, which since the beginning of the war has been the main gathering point for the families of those who were kidnapped on 7 October 2023 during the Hamas attacks.
Most of them are critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and have been urging him to strike a deal with Hamas for all hostages to be freed and for the end of the war.
Here, people are carrying placards with the faces of those who remain in captivity - 59 hostages are still in Gaza, but only 24 are believed to remain alive.
One woman, dressed in yellow, the colour that symbolises this crisis, is carrying a poster saying: "Trump, stop the war. In Trump we trust."
A huge screen keeps track of how long the hostages have been in captivity: 583 days.
Image source, Hugo Bachega / BBCAlexander expected to be released to Red Cross, then Israeli militarypublished at 10:48 British Summer Time
We've just had more information from the Israeli side on how today's release of Edan Alexander should unfold:
- The release will follow the same procedure as previous hostage returns: Alexander will be handed from Hamas, to the Red Cross, to a special Israeli military unit
- Alexander will be transferred by a special unit to Re'im in Israel, where he will receive initial medical and psychological care, before reuniting with his family
- Alexander and his family will then be airlifted together to hospital in Tel Aviv
We are not expecting a public handover, as happened with some hostage handovers in Gaza. Israel says it will only release footage with the Alexander family's consent.
Growing signs of strained US-Israel relationspublished at 10:31 British Summer Time
Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in JerusalemLocal media report that Israel had no idea of the latest direct contact between the US and Hamas officials until after a deal was struck on the expected release of Edan Alexander.
There have been growing signs of strain in relations between President Trump and Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent weeks.
While Trump wants to remove the threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon through negotiations, Netanyahu favours military action.
On Gaza, Washington continues to push for a new ceasefire and hostage release deal, even as Israel’s security cabinet has approved an intensified offensive.
On Sunday, NBC news quoted US sources saying that the president privately viewed Israel’s strategy in the strip as "a wasted effort" - "at odds" with his own plan for rebuilding there.
Israel pausing fighting during handover - reportspublished at 10:10 British Summer Time
As our correspondent Yolande Knell just reported, Israel has committed to providing a "safe corridor" in Gaza for Edan Alexander to be released.
We are now getting reports that Israel has paused "combat operations" in Gaza, as the handover happens.
A Hamas source tells the AFP news agency: "Hamas was informed that at exactly 9:30 [07:30 BST], Israel began halting its reconnaissance, drone, and warplane flights, as well as combat operations, to create a safe corridor for the transfer and handover of Edan."
This release comes at a pivotal timepublished at 10:01 British Summer Time
Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in JerusalemThe announcement of the first hostage release since Israel shattered a ceasefire in March comes just ahead of President Trump’s visit to the Middle East.
It follows reports of direct talks between US officials and Hamas and shows a willingness on the part of Israel’s closest ally to push ahead with ceasefire negotiations.
"Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict," Trump said on social media.
Hamas has previously refused to free more captives without Israel first committing to a path to end the 19-month-long war – a condition that the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected.
His office said Israel had not committed to a ceasefire but only "a safe corridor" for the expected release of Edan Alexander.
This development comes at a pivotal time: Israel is threatening a new major military offensive in Gaza and has stopped all aid from entering for more than two months causing a deep humanitarian crisis.
Who is Edan Alexander?published at 09:46 British Summer Time
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Varda Ben Baruch holds a photo of her grandson, Edan Alexander
Edan Alexander is a 21-year-old dual Israeli-American, believed to be the last living America hostage in Gaza.
Born in Tel Aviv but raised in New Jersey, Alexander was serving in the elite infantry on the border with Gaza when he was captured by Hamas during the attacks on 7 October, 2023.
His family said they had "received the greatest gift imaginable" at hearing he will be able to return home.
"We hope our son's release begins negotiations for all 58 remaining hostages, ending this nightmare for them and their families."