JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, the last living American of the Hamas-held hostages in Gaza, is awaiting his release by the terror group into the custody of the Israel Defense Forces.
President Donald Trump said the goodwill gesture may help put an end to the war and return all the living hostages and the remains of the dead to their loved ones.
The expected release comes just before Trump visits the Middle East this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued their own statement, reading in part, “The expected release of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldier Edan Alexander without anything in return will be possible due to the vigorous policy that we have led with the backing of President Trump, and thanks to the military pressure of IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip.”
Netanyahu’s statement also revealed that Israel didn’t commit to a ceasefire or the release of terrorist prisoners, only to a safe corridor for the freeing of Alexander.
It added the release would come “under fire,” meaning the fighting in Gaza will not stop, while the IDF prepares to expand the war.
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Former IDF Spokesman Doron Spielman told CBN News, “I would say that the entire game has changed, Chris. Up until now, over the last 20 months, our goal has been to try to deter Hamas, try to destroy them, but to be extremely careful around the hostages, and what this really resulted in was striking in and pulling back, striking and pulling back. And the problem is, Hamas understood this right away.”
Spielman explained that the new Israeli strategy calls for conquering an area of Gaza and holding the territory.
“What that means is, the IDF pushes into Rafah, where we have very intense fighting as I’m speaking to you right now, in Rafah (in southern Gaza), with our brigades and with Hamas brigades in Rafah, we will hold that territory. As we move into the middle of Gaza and the Khan Yunis, we will hold that territory to force Hamas to retreat to a smaller and smaller area, where hopefully we can finish them.”
The challenge, as always, since October 7th, is saving the hostages.
“What we know, of course, is what they know – and what we all know – is that they will use those hostages into the last minute. But our hope is by pushing them into an area they have no choice to go to, that’s when we hopefully can bring these people home and finish with this.”
In the meantime, the U.S. and Iran finished their fourth round of talks in Oman over Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced, “There’s a better understanding now. I can say that the positions have gotten somewhat closer, and overall, I believe the talks can be assessed as moving forward.”
Yet, Araghchi insists that Tehran’s enrichment of uranium, a key factor in making nuclear weapons, is non-negotiable.
“This is a right of the Iranian people that is not up for negotiation or compromise. Enrichment is one of the achievements and honors of the Iranian nation. A heavy price has been paid for this enrichment. The blood of our nuclear scientists has been shed for it. This is absolutely non-negotiable. That has been our clear stance that we have always voiced.”
The IDF also sent an urgent warning to the Houthis in Yemen on Sunday. An IDF spokesman warned on X that since the Houthis use their seaports for terrorist activities, Yemenis should evacuate and stay away from them until further notice.
