Released American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander (Screenshot/X)
Israel not halting war on Hamas, Prime Minister’s Office says, as IDF temporarily limits operations in Gaza in anticipation of the release of abducted IDF soldier and dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander.
By World Israel News Staff
IDF forces halted most operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday ahead of the anticipated return of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.
Alexander, 21, an IDF soldier abducted by Hamas terrorists during the invasion of October 7, 2023, was released by Hamas to the International Red Cross on Monday, marking the first time a male soldier taken hostage in the 2023 invasion has been returned to Israel.
The release was carried out with no reciprocal release by Israel of jailed terrorists and with no conditions imposed by Hamas.
The move, which came days ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to Qatar, was widely seen as a goodwill gesture by Hamas to the American president. Alexander was the sole surviving US citizen in captivity in Gaza.
The IDF reportedly halted drone flights over the Gaza Strip and suspended active ground operations in much of the coastal enclave in order to facilitate Alexander’s release.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement Monday morning emphasizing that Israel has “not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists,” but rather was merely limiting IDF activities in Gaza to establish a “safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan.”
Despite the partial IDF ceasefire, Hamas terrorists attacked IDF forces in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City on Monday afternoon. One soldier was lightly wounded in the attack, the Israeli military said.
Israel was poised to dispatch a negotiating team to Cairo on Monday, following Alexander’s return to Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported, as the U.S. pushes to use the momentum of Monday’s release to reboot hostage deal talks between Israel and Hamas.
Arab officials cited in the report said that the proposed deal would include additional hostage releases in exchange for resuming the entry of aid to Gaza.
An Israeli official told Ma’ariv that Jerusalem has yet to commit to sending a delegation to Cairo.
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