The agreement to release Edan Alexander came after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel.

Both Al Jazeera and Reuters are reporting that Hamas and the US are directly discussing a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

A senior Hamas official tells Newsweek that the Palestinian militant group saw "positive" potential in signs of a growing rift between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after offering the U.S. leader a political win in the form of an American hostage release ahead of his Middle East trip.

Follow the latest on Trump's Gulf trip US President Donald Trump’s Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff held direct talks with Hamas leaders in Qatar on Wednesday, sources told The National. The meeting was a first between the real estate magnate and representatives of the militant Palestinian group,

Despite American pressure, Israel sticks to rigid terms as deadly airstrikes continue across Gaza during US President Trump’s regional visit - Anadolu Ajansı

His comments came after Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and many other countries, released the last surviving U.S.-Israeli hostage after a deal with Washington.

An Israeli hospital official said Tuesday that the condition of released American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander “appears stable overall" after being held in captivity in Gaza for more than 19 months.

Israeli officials said the military had launched an attack targeting Mohammad Sinwar, one of Hamas’s top remaining commanders in Gaza and the brother of a leader killed last year.