Varda Ben Baruch, grandmother of U.S.-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, points at a portrait of the captive    [File; Amir Cohen/Reuters]

Gaza City, May 12 (RHC)-- Hamas has confirmed in a statement that the group is going to be releasing dual-national citizen Edan Alexander.  He was an Israeli soldier at the time he was taken captive on October 7, 2023 and the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, says that he’s arriving in Israel on Monday in hopes of bringing Alexander back to the United States, where he also holds citizenship.

It’s worth mentioning that these talks happened behind the scenes between the Americans and Hamas directly. The last time there were direct talks between the two parties, the Israelis were very angry because they were not involved, and the Americans hit back then, saying that they did not need anyone’s permission to negotiate when it came to the US captives who were being held in Gaza.

Now, when it comes to the rest of the 58 captives still being held in Gaza, the Israeli public says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prioritising his own personal and political gains over the lives of those remaining in captivity.

Netanyahu’s office did release a statement on Alexander’s release, saying he is set to be freed for nothing in exchange, but rather as a goodwill gesture to the Americans and to President Trump, who is set to arrive in the region on Tuesday.

[ SOURCE:  REUTERS and NEWS AGENCIES ]