People carry posters with pictures of Edan Alexander, kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, as supporters of Israeli hostages take part in a protest and they demand the release of all hostages in the 555 day since the kidnapping, in Jerusalem, on April 13, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The armed wing of Hamas said on Tuesday (April 15, 2025) it had lost contact with a group of militants holding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Ubaida, the armed wing’s spokesperson, said on the Telegram that it lost contact after the Israeli Army attacked the place where the militants were holding Mr. Alexander, who is a New Jersey native and a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli Army.
Abu Ubaida did not say where in Gaza Mr. Alexander was purportedly held. The armed wing later released a video warning hostages families that their “children will return in black coffins with their bodies torn apart from shrapnel from your army”.
Also Read | Israeli makes new Gaza ceasefire proposal but prospects appear slim, Hamas says will respond soon
Hamas has previously blamed Israel for the deaths of hostages held in Gaza, including as a direct result of military operations, while also acknowledging on at least one occasion that a hostage was killed by a guard. It said the guard had acted against instructions.
There was no immediate response from the Israeli military to a request for comment on the Hamas statement about Mr. Alexander.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House in March that gaining the release of Mr. Alexander, believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was a “top priority for us”.
Also Read | Hamas says will free hostages if end to Gaza war guaranteed
The Tikva Forum, a group representing some family members of those held in Gaza, had said earlier on Tuesday (April 15, 2025) that Mr. Alexander was among up to 10 hostages who could be released by Hamas if a new ceasefire was reached, citing a conversation a day earlier between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the mother of another hostage. There was no immediate comment on that from Mr. Netanyahu’s office.
On Saturday (April 12, 2025) Hamas released a video purportedly showing Mr. Alexander, who has been held in Gaza since he was captured by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023.
The release of Mr. Alexander was at the centre of earlier talks held between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler last month.
Also Read | Israel controls 50% of Gaza after razing land to expand its buffer zone
Hamas released 38 hostages under a ceasefire that began on January 19. In March, Israel’s military resumed its ground and aerial offensive on Gaza, abandoning the ceasefire after Hamas rejected proposals to extend the truce without ending the war.
Israeli officials say that offensive will continue until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Gaza is demilitarized. Hamas insists it will free hostages only as part of a deal to end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms.
Published – April 15, 2025 10:26 pm IST
