Edan Alexander — an American-Israeli soldier who was abducted from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas' October 7, 2023, cross-border attack that set off the war in Gaza — had been held hostage in the Gaza Strip for more than 19 months before being turned over to representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday according to a Hamas statement. Khalil al-Hayyah, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said in a statement that Hamas is ready to "immediately start intensive negotiations" to reach a final deal for a long-term truce, which includes an end to the war, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages in Gaza and the handing over of power in Gaza to an independent body of technocrats. But, it added in a second post, in "accordance with Israel's policy, the negotiations will be held under fire, based on the commitment to achieve all of the objectives of the war."
Author: Kate Hairsine
Published at: 2025-05-11 20:14:00
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