Hamas says it’s ready to immediately engage in talks for lasting Gaza ceasefire

ISTANBUL

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Monday that it is ready to immediately engage in negotiations to reach a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The comments came after its armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, released Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander late Monday after talks with the US.

“Hamas is ready to immediately begin negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement for a sustainable ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army, the end of the siege, the exchange of prisoners, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement.

Alexander, a soldier who was serving in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border, was the last known living US hostage held in Gaza.

Hamas reiterated that “serious and responsible” negotiations could lead to meaningful results in securing the release of prisoners, adding: “Continued aggression only prolongs their suffering and could lead to their deaths.”

It urged US President Donald Trump's administration to continue “its efforts to end the brutal war being waged by war criminal (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu against children, women and unarmed civilians in Gaza.”​​​​​​​

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said in a statement that its forces in Gaza had received Alexander from the Red Cross.

Israel's Channel 14 quoted a senior Israeli military official who was not named as saying that "from the moment Edan is back in Israel, we will resume the attacks and continue executing the operational plan—unless the political leadership decides otherwise."

In an earlier statement, the army noted that the Red Cross had informed it of Alexander’s handover, which was also reported by Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, stating that the transfer occurred north of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross transporting Alexander headed toward the Kissufim crossing—controlled by Israel—northeast of Khan Younis, in preparation for his handover, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Earlier, Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Israel’s Coordinator for Prisoners and Missing Persons Gal Hirsch were en route aboard a military helicopter to the Re’im military base near the Gaza border to receive Alexander.

Alexander’s release came as part of negotiations between Hamas and the US with the participation of Egypt and Qatar and without any direct Israeli involvement.

An Israeli negotiating delegation is expected to head to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Tuesday to discuss a potential agreement on a prisoner exchange and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The decision followed a meeting between Netanyahu, Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, which also included a phone call with Trump.

Netanyahu and Witkoff agreed that the Israeli negotiation team would remain in Doha until Thursday, coinciding with Trump’s anticipated visit, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Trump is scheduled to visit the Middle East—including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates—from May 13-16 in his first trip to the region since beginning his second term in January.

Israel estimates that 59 captives remain in Gaza, including 21 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, over 9,900 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel, where rights groups report widespread torture, starvation and medical neglect, resulting in several deaths.

Israel has blocked humanitarian aid at Gaza’s crossings since March 2, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million residents facing famine conditions.

Nearly 52,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.