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Hamas has said it will release Edan Alexander, an Israeli soldier who holds American citizenship.

The group announced on Sunday that the 21-year-old, who is believed to be the last living American hostage in Gaza, will be released as part of ongoing efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire with Israel.

Hamas, the militant group with which Israel has been at war since 7 October 2023, said Mr Alexander would be released on Monday.

The group said in a statement: “Hamas has been in contact with the US administration over the past few days.

“The movement has expressed a high degree of positivity, and the release of Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US citizen, will be part of the steps being taken to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid and relief to reach our people in the Gaza Strip.”

Donald Trump poses for photos with family members of Edan Alexander in New York last year. File pic: AP
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Donald Trump posing for photos with family members of Edan Alexander in New York last year. File pic: AP

Mr Alexander, who is from the US state of New Jersey, was 19 when he was taken from his base on the border with Gaza in southern Israel during the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023.

His expected release has been described as a “gesture of goodwill” by Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, who has been heavily involved in peace talks between Hamas and Israel.

He confirmed to Sky News’ US partner network NBC News that he is travelling to Israel to secure Mr Alexander’s release.

Edan Alexander deal ‘was reached before the US informed Israel’

The release of Edan Alexander is a success for US pressure on Hamas with help from mediators Egypt and Qatar.

US President Donald Trump thanked those countries in a post on Truth Social, notably with no mention of Israel. Hamas will get nothing in return and have said this is a goodwill gesture in the hope it will lead to progress on a ceasefire.

There will likely be a mixed reaction to Alexander’s release in Israel – on the one hand celebration another hostage is being released and the anticipation this will open the way for the remaining 58 to come out, but also anger that Trump has managed to do what their own prime minister hasn’t: a full hostage deal.

The current relationship between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is the talk of Jerusalem and Washington, so much so that both administrations have felt it necessary to deny any rift in recent days.

That might be so, but the Israeli media is reporting the Edan Alexander deal was reached before the US informed Israel.

If so, then this would be the latest example that this White House appears to believe it is more productive to do business without including Israel – the Houthi ceasefire and Iran nuclear talks being two other recent examples.

And Steve Witkoff, Trump’s man for all things, has reportedly voiced opposition to Israel’s plans to expand its military operation in Gaza, believing a full ceasefire is now the best way to end the fighting, release the hostages and prepare for the day-after in Gaza.

Trump will fly to the Middle East later on Monday, to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, but not Israel.

To have a US president in the region but not dropping by Israel is being seen as a snub, especially during this current period of war.

The Israeli government has repeatedly been forced to play catch up to unfolding events, something it isn’t too used to doing with its close allies in Washington, and there will be concern that Arab leaders will be in the US president’s ear over the coming days, perhaps to the detriment of Netanyahu’s interests.

“We are picking him up probably tomorrow,” Mr Witkoff said. “There was a long negotiation with lots of people to thank.”

The Hostages Families Forum said it is “embracing and supporting” Mr Alexander’s family. It said his release should “mark the beginning of a comprehensive agreement that will secure the freedom of all remaining hostages”.

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From 7 May: Israeli military strikes kill dozens in Gaza

US special envoy Adam Boehler described the announcement as a “positive step forward” adding that the US would encourage Hamas to also “release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken”.

The announcement was made hours after a senior Palestinian official told Reuters that the US administration was involved in wider talks with Hamas alongside Egypt and Qatar in a “pursuit of an agreement”.

Mr Trump is also set to travel to the Middle East later this week, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The four-day trip is expected to focus heavily on business deals and new investments.

‘A goodwill gesture’

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was told by the US that Mr Alexander’s release was “a goodwill gesture toward the Americans without compensation or conditions”.

It said the US told Israel the move is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of hostages, according to the original “Witkoff framework” – which Israel has already accepted.

The “Witkoff framework” was proposed in March. It involves Hamas releasing half of its remaining hostages – the militant group’s main bargaining chip – in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.

Read more from Sky News:
What could Israel’s plan for Gaza be?
Israeli embassy in London ‘was target of alleged terror plot’

Hamas has always refused to accept the deal. It said it is willing to free all remaining hostages and agree to a permanent ceasefire if Israel pulls out completely from Gaza.

Around 59 hostages are still inside Gaza, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

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Why did Trump drop the F-bomb?

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Why did Trump drop the F-bomb?

Donald Trump has lashed out at both Israel and Iran – clearly frustrated after both sides exchanged missiles despite a ceasefire being declared.

For now though, a cessation of hostilities has held, with Israel saying its operation is now over.

The US president is now in The Netherlands for the NATO summit, and received a gushing text from Secretary-General Mark Rutte while en route.

US Correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone discuss the latest.

If you’ve got a question you’d like the Trump100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.

You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

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Leaks plunge success of ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ into serious doubt

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Leaks plunge success of 'Operation Midnight Hammer' into serious doubt

There is a critical question hanging over the events of the past few days.

Behind the chest-thumping from Donald Trump, and the bewilderment beyond at his statecraft-by-social-media, doubts have now reached fever pitch about the success of the American bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Leaks from the US Defence Department suggest the bunker busting bombs dropped on Iran’s three nuclear enrichment sites might only have set the country’s nuclear capabilities back by months.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a meeting alongside Vice President J.D. Vance in the Situation Room at the White House

“We were assuming that the damage was going to be much more significant than this assessment is finding,” said one of three sources, speaking to NBC News.

“This assessment is already finding that these core pieces are still intact. That’s a bad sign for the overall programme.”

NBC News has spoken to three sources – all of whom say that the initial assessment by the Defence Intelligence Agency has concluded that the US airstrikes were not as effective as Mr Trump claimed.

Similar leaks were made to The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN.

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Why did Trump lash out at Iran and Israel?

Responding to the CNN leak, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community.”

She continued: “The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear programme. Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000lb bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

In his address to the nation on Saturday night, Mr Trump had said: “I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”

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Trump: Iran strikes ‘spectacular success’

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has also dismissed the leaks, saying: “Based on everything we have seen – and I’ve seen it all – our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.

“Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target – and worked perfectly.”

“The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran, so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the president and the successful mission.”

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Iran’s nuclear capabilities

Battle Damage Assessments (BDAs) take a long time to be close to conclusive and require extensive intelligence analysis.

Speaking to Sky News, former director of the CIA and top US General David Petraeus cautioned about drawing any conclusions at this stage.

“Well, the truth is, it is just too soon. And those who are leaking should know that it takes a long time to do the battle damage assessment. And those who have actually pushed back in very conclusive ways also probably should have wait for the full results,” Gen Petraeus said.

“This is a very painstaking process. It’s an effort by the overall intelligence community, not just Defence Intelligence Agency. In fact, the CIA would be the lead in this effort to mine all sources of intelligence, imagery, intelligence of all types, signals, cyber, even open-source intelligence.”

Read more analysis:
There’s one F word Trump fears most
Can Tehran regard Trump as trusted broker of peace?

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Trump’s ‘ripping up the rule book’

Beyond the debate over the extent of the damage, questions remain over whether Iran might have managed to move equipment including centrifuges. Critically too, the whereabouts of about 400kg of highly enriched uranium is unknown.

The classified assessment of the military’s operation in Iran has been transmitted to Congress and has been viewed by some senators in a secure location, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

“I’ve reviewed the classified material,” Democratic Party Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said.

“I’m a little bit disappointed that my colleagues went and looked at it and mainly started talking about it publicly. That’s not we’re supposed to do with a classified report,” he added.

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Iran ‘not at all’ thankful for Trump

Speaking on Sunday to NBC’s Meet The Press, Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon insisted Iran’s nuclear capability had been dramatically set back.

“I think it’s still very early to jump into conclusions. We have to wait for the assessment. I can tell you one thing for sure. If you look where Iran was 12 days ago and where they are today, you understand that both Israel and the US were able to degrade the capabilities, push them back decades, and if we had an imminent threat, it doesn’t exist anymore.”

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Donald Trump’s four-letter fury is a reminder there’s one F word he fears most

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Donald Trump's four-letter fury is a reminder there's one F word he fears most

Failure – it’s the F word Donald Trump fears most.

Hence the early morning rant from a president, F for frustrated.

The day before had seen head-spinning developments in which a ceasefire between Israel and Iran turned on a Truth Social post.

If it felt fragile, that’s how it appeared overnight. There were exchanges between both sides beyond the deadline, and the president woke frustrated.

An unlikely diplomatic result looked exactly that.

Donald Trump speaks to media ahead of boarding Marine One to depart to attend the NATO Summit in The Hague. Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump lashed out at Iran and Israel before boarding a flight to Europe on Tuesday. Pic: Reuters

Trump’s four-lettered fury was aimed primarily at Israel, which on Tuesday morning gave the appearance of an ally that had reeled him into the fight and wasn’t letting go.

It also leant into doubts around Trump’s influence over Israeli actions.

More on Donald Trump

If this process is heading towards nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran, Trump doesn’t need questions surrounding his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tehran needs to believe Trump can tighten the leash.

It will have been comforted by his remarks on board Air Force One, from where he called Netanyahu.

Speaking to the travelling media, Trump said he didn’t want to see regime change in Iran, having floated support for the idea last week.

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Israel’s prime minister’s office issued a statement that spoke of having “achieved all the war’s objectives”.

The wording speaks to a move beyond aggression.

Time will tell, and this ceasefire feels fragile still, but it’ll do for Trump for now, the self-styled peacemaker making peace one social media post at a time.

He is strengthened by the success of his diplomacy, a fact laid bare – where else? – on Truth Social.

Read more:
How much damage did the US inflict on Iran?
Can Tehran trust Trump as a broker of peace?

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on his way to The Hague, to join world leaders gathering in the Netherlands for a two-day NATO summit. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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Trump boarding Air Force One to travel to Europe on Tuesday. Pic: AP

As he flew towards the NATO summit, Trump posted a message from the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte.

It’s unclear if Rutte knew it would be published, but it’s abundantly clear he’s a man with lips puckered as the US president swaggers towards the gathering.

Referring to NATO countries’ commitment to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP, he wrote: “Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe and the world.

“You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”

The effusive praise speaks to power enhanced for the US president as he prepares to attend the NATO gathering.

His stature is reinforced by his most recent result… as long as it lasts.

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