Spanish
New York,- President Donald Trump described as an act "of good faith" towards the U.S. the announcement by the Islamist group Hamas that it will release the American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.
"I thank everyone involved in this monumental news. It was an act given in good faith towards the U.S. and the efforts of the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, to end this brutal war and to return ALL the living hostages and mortal remains to their loved ones," wrote the president on his Truth Social network.
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Trump also said he hopes this will be the first step to end the war in Gaza.
Hamas announced this Sunday with a statement that it will release the American-Israeli hostage soldier Edan Alexander, as part of the efforts to "achieve a ceasefire, open the border crossings and introduce aid and humanitarian assistance" in the Gaza Strip.
The Islamist group, which did not specify when it will release Alexander, communicated this decision following conversations over the last few days with the government of US President Donald Trump, in which it claims to have maintained a "very positive" attitude.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance also celebrated the news on his X account and expressed that, if Hamas "keeps its promise" and releases Alexander, "it will have been another triumph of (U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East) Steve Witkoff."
Edan Alexander, the only living hostage with U.S. citizenship of the 59 captives remaining in Gaza, was kidnapped at 19 years old (now 21) on October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas attack against Israeli territory. Alexander is a "lone soldier", as those young people who go to Israel to do mandatory military service are known, even though their family does not reside in the country.
That October 7, militiamen led by Hamas from Gaza entered Israeli territory and killed about 1,200 people, also kidnapping another 251.
Following this attack, Israel launched its offensive on the Gaza Strip, which continues to this day and has claimed the lives of more than 52,800 people, in addition to having subjected the population to blockades on access to goods such as food or medicine, leading to an increasingly pressing humanitarian crisis.
