Hamas agrees to free an American hostage and hand over the bodies of four others

The Israeli government calls the offer ‘manipulation and psychological warfare’, stressing that Hamas still refuses to extend the first temporary phase of the ceasefire

Eliya Cohen, rehén retenido en Gaza desde el mortal ataque del 7 de octubre de 2023, es liberado como parte de un alto el fuego - REUTERS/ RAMADAN ABED — Eliya Cohen, hostage held in Gaza since the deadly 7 October 2023 attack, is released as part of a ceasefire - REUTERS/ RAMADAN ABED

Margarita Arredondas

Updated: 14/03/25

Hamas has announced that it is willing to release the US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander and hand over the bodies of four dual nationals held in Gaza after receiving a proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

In this sense, it is likely that it will demand the release of Palestinian prisoners and the extension of the ceasefire in Gaza from Israel.

‘We approached this proposal with responsibility and a positive attitude, and we responded on Friday. We are ready to start negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and we call for pressure to be put on Israel to fulfil its commitments,’ Hamas said in a statement.

For its part, the Israeli government called the offer to release Alexander ‘manipulation and psychological warfare’. ‘While Israel has accepted Witkoff's proposal, Hamas remains steadfast in its refusal and has not budged an inch,’ the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Hamas has reportedly agreed to free American-Israeli Edan Alexander, and the remains of four other deceased hostages with dual citizenship.

Israel has yet to confirm.

My heart is with the Alexander family. May they soon be reunited with Edan, who they have been missing for 525… pic.twitter.com/kQUqGTMnd4

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) March 14, 2025

On Thursday, the US envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, presented a new proposal to the mediators on a ceasefire in Gaza. This proposal is an update of a previous one, which Hamas rejected, and would guarantee the release of a group of hostages held alive in exchange for a one-month extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Omer Wenkert, rehén retenido en Gaza por Hamás desde el mortal ataque del 7 de octubre de 2023, es liberado como parte de un alto el fuego - REUTERS/ RAMADAN ABED — Omer Wenkert, hostage held in Gaza by Hamas since the deadly 7 October 2023 attack, is released as part of a ceasefire - REUTERS/ RAMADAN ABED

The extension of the ceasefire would last until the end of the Jewish holiday of Passover, extending the pause in the fighting and renewing the entry of humanitarian aid during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Palestinian prisoners would also be released and a date would be set to address the second phase, which would include a complete cessation of hostilities.

Tags:

Israel Hamas