Mother of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander says ‘you are safe’ in first call after his release – as it happened

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It’s 11.15pm in Tel Aviv and Gaza. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:

Gaza is at “critical risk of famine”, food security experts have warned, 10 weeks after Israel imposed a blockade on the devastated Palestinian territory, cutting off all supplies including food, medicine, shelter and fuel. Aid workers say prices for essentials had risen further in recent days, warehouses were empty and humanitarian teams treating malnourished children were being forced to divide rations.

Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander has returned to Israel after being released by Hamas. Alexander, a dual national serving in the Israel Defense Forces, spent 584 days in captivity and was the last living US citizen held in Gaza. Hamas said they had freed Alexander “following contacts with the US administration, to achieve a ceasefire, open crossings, and bring aid and relief to our people in Gaza”.

Edan Alexander’s release was welcomed in Israel and beyond. US president Donald Trump described it as a “good faith step” towards ending the war and bringing home all remaining hostages. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Trump for his role in Edan’s release but also claimed credit was due to Israeli forces and his own government’s military strategy. Relatives of hostages called for the Israeli government to push for a breakthrough to bring back 58 others still in Gaza.

Alexander’s release comes on the eve of Trump’s first trip to the region since his re-election, with Israel conspicuously missing from his itinerary, and after a series of blunt public snubs to the country’s leadership. Trump’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, denied on Monday that the relationship with Israel’s most important ally was strained.

The Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) has declared it will disarm and disband after a call from its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, earlier this year. The announcement by the Kurdish militant group, whose attacks and insurgency against Turkey have spanned more than four decades, will end decades of fighting will affect forces based near Turkey’s borders with Iraq and Iran, as well as allied or splinter groups in north-east Syria.

Al Jazeera can resume working in the Palestinian territories, the network’s Ramallah bureau chief said, after Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas lifted a ban imposed earlier this year. Al Jazeera remains banned from broadcasting from Israel.

Israel has asked judges at the international criminal court (ICC) to withdraw arrest warrants against its prime minister and former defence minister while the ICC reviews Israeli challenges to its jurisdiction over the conduct of the Gaza war.

Netanyahu tells Israeli soldiers things 'you have never seen before' will happen in Gaza 'within days'

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told a meeting of wounded Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers that things “that you have never seen before” will “happen in Gaza” in the coming days.

In the meeting, reported by the Times of Israel, Netanyahu said:

Within days, things are going to happen in Gaza. Things will happen that you have never seen before until now.

The Israeli leader is also reported to have told soldiers that while he is “giving a chance” for the return of the hostages, if these efforts do not succeed, the fighting will be intense and “to the end”.

Footage has been released showing American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander reuniting with his family after 584 days in Hamas captivity.

UN chief welcomes release of Edan Alexander

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, welcomed the release of American-Israeli national Edan Alexander from captivity and is “profoundly relieved” that he will be returning to his family and loved ones after this “harrowing” ordeal, his spokesperson said.

A statement from Stéphane Dujarric reads:

The Secretary-General renews his urgent call for an immediate permanent ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages. Hostages must be treated humanely and with dignity.

He calls on all parties to immediately ensure the rapid, unhindered, and safe humanitarian relief, including the delivery of critical services, for all civilians in need. Aid is not negotiable.

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff didn’t mince his words.

In a meeting late on Sunday with former hostages and relatives of those still held in Gaza, he told them Israel is drawing out a war the US wants to end, local media reported.

On the eve of the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American being held by Hamas, Witkoff spelt out the gulf between his boss and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Channel 12 Television, quoting sources who were present, Witkoff told the meeting:

We want to bring the hostages home, but Israel is not willing to end the war. Israel is prolonging it – despite the fact that we don’t see where else we can go and that an agreement must be reached.

It was the latest in a series of high-profile and high-stakes snubs from the White House which suggest that Israel’s most important ally is frustrated with its government – and possibly losing interest in its fortunes.

“Trump’s not against Israel, but he doesn’t care about Israel,” said Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat.

As far as Trump is concerned, Netanyahu has become an irritant and an irritant that doesn’t contribute to the bank account.

Read the full analysis: Netanyahu must now work for support of US as Trump tires of Israel’s war in Gaza

Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel said it is “deeply moved” by the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, but said it showed that the lives of hostages with US citizenship are “worth less”.

A statement by the kibbutz reads:

It is hard to ignore the difficult message that the citizens of the State of Israel are receiving today, and which is being conveyed to the entire world: Our lives are worth less.

A hostage with an American passport is given priority, while the other 58 hostages are left behind — including 14 members of the Nir Oz community.

“Every hostage who returns is a great light in the darkness we are in,” the statement continues.

Al Jazeera can resume working in the Palestinian territories, the network’s Ramallah bureau chief said, after Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas lifted a ban imposed earlier this year.

Waleed Omari, the bureau chief of Al Jazeera in Jerusalem and Ramallah, said in a statement on Monday:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to lift the ban on the Al Jazeera network and allow its crews to resume work in the Palestinian territories starting tomorrow morning.

The decision comes after Al Jazeera’s operations were halted in the Palestinian territories in January, after the Palestinian Authority (PA) accused the network of “inciting material”.

At the time of the channel’s suspension, PA security forces had been engaged in weeks of deadly clashes with militant fighters in the Jenin camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Al Jazeera remains banned from broadcasting from Israel.

'You are safe': Edan Alexander speaks to his mother after release

A clip showing US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander speaking to his mother following his release from Hamas captivity has been shared on social media.

In the clip, Yael Alexander is heard telling her son:

You are strong. You are safe. You are home. We’ll see each other soon. I love you,

The Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) has announced it will disarm and disband, after a call from its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan earlier this year.

Leaders of the militia group, which is regarded as a terrorist organisation in Turkey, the UK and the US, said their armed insurgency had “brought the Kurdish issue to the point of resolution through democratic politics, and in this regard the PKK has completed its historical mission.”

The announcement that the militia will end decades of fighting will affect forces based near Turkey’s borders with Iraq and Iran, as well as allied or splinter groups in north-east Syria.

Despite the PKK announcement of a “new phase”, the decision to disarm and dissolve appeared to be unilateral, with few public indications about authorities in Ankara offering dialogue.

The decision follows months of outreach to Kurdish political leaders in Turkey by the nationalist politician Devlet Bahçeli, a coalition partner of the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development party (AKP). Erdoğan welcomed the PKK’s decision, saying:

With terror and violence being completely disengaged, the doors of a new era in every area, namely strengthening politics and democratic capacity, will be opened.

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog said he watched “with great emotion” the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander “from darkness to light”.

“Welcome home, Edan. We waited for you so long,” Herzog wrote in a post on X.

He said he watched Alexander’s release with Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Herzog added:

I send a huge hug to your heroic parents, incredible grandmother, and your entire family.

Merz welcomed Herzog for a meeting in Berlin earlier today, and noted that the Israeli president is the first foreign leader he has hosted since taking office last week.

Herzog is scheduled to be hosted by German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier for a state dinner this evening, then return to Israel tomorrow morning.

Gaza is at “critical risk of famine”, food security experts have warned, 10 weeks after Israel imposed a blockade on the devastated Palestinian territory, cutting off all supplies including food, medicine, shelter and fuel.

In its most recent report, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said on Monday there had been a “major deterioration” in the food security situation in Gaza since its last assessment in October 2024 and that Palestinians living there faced “a critical risk of famine”.

The IPC, a consortium of independent specialists tasked by the UN and international NGOs with assessing the risk of famine in crises worldwide, said:

Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people – one in five – facing starvation.

Aid workers in Gaza told the Guardian that prices for essentials had risen further in recent days, warehouses were empty and humanitarian teams treating malnourished children were being forced to divide rations designed for one between two patients to give both a chance of survival.

Jonathan Crickx, a spokesperson for Unicef speaking from southern Gaza, said:

The stocks we brought in during the [two-month-long] ceasefire are running very low. We have treated more than 11,000 children since the beginning of the year … In coming weeks, we fear we will see more children dying.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it welcomes the release of Edan Alexander after 584 days of captivity.

A statement from the group reads:

We embrace you, Edan, and are so glad you are home. We hope your return is the beginning of a comprehensive agreement that is needed to bring all 58 hostages home.

Netanyahu credits military pressure and US diplomacy for Edan Alexander's release

Benjamin Netanyahu has credited the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander to Israeli military pressure and “political pressure” from the US president, Donald Trump.

Netanyahu, in a video statement published by his office, said:

This is a very emotional moment – Edan Alexander has come home. We embrace him, and we embrace his family. This was achieved thanks to our military pressure and the political pressure exerted by President Trump. This is a winning combination.

The Israeli prime minister added that he had spoken with Trump, who reaffirmed his commitment to Israel and promised to work “in close cooperation” to release the remaining hostages and defeat Hamas.

Edan Alexander arrives at IDF facility for medical assessment

Edan Alexander, the Israeli-American hostage who was released earlier today, has arrived at an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) facility near the border community of Re’im in southern Israel.

An IDF statement says Alexander will undergo an initial physical and mental checkup and be reunited with his family after he was escorted out of Gaza by Israeli troops.

His father, Adi Alexander, was taken by an Israeli air force helicopter to Re’im shortly after arriving in the country from the US, the Times of Israel reports, citing an Israeli defence official.

His mother arrived at the Re’im base earlier today.

Gaza is at “critical risk of famine”, food security experts have warned, 10 weeks after Israel imposed a blockade on the devastated Palestinian territory, cutting off all supplies including food, medicine, shelter and fuel.

In its most recent report, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said on Monday there had been a “major deterioration” in the food security situation in Gaza since its last assessment in October 2024 and that Palestinians living there faced “a critical risk of famine”.

“Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks. The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people – one in five – facing starvation,” said the IPC, a consortium of independent specialists tasked by the UN and international NGOs with assessing the risk of famine in crises worldwide.

Israel imposed its strict blockade in early March, after the end of the first phase of a supposed three-phase ceasefire. Just over two weeks later, a new wave of attacks by the Israeli military definitively ended the truce.

Faisal Ali

US president Donald Trump has said he is considering lifting sanctions on Syria, following the UK’s lead, which removed some of its own sanctions in late April.

Speaking at a press conference at the White House, Trump said he was mulling the move after Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, raised the issue.

Trump said: “We may take them off of Syria, because we want to give them a fresh start.”

He added: “President Erdogan’s asked me about that, many people have asked me about that because the way we have them sanctioned doesn’t really them much of a start. We want to see if we can help them out.”

Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visited Paris last week, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who similarly voiced his support for lifting EU-wide sanctions on the new government.

After their meeting, Macron said that if al-Sharaa “continues on his path” and guarantees were provided that international funds would be used appropriately, France would push for the lifting of European sanctions and lobby Trump to do the same.

Edan Alexander safely handed to Israeli forces

The Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that it “facilitated the safe transfer of a hostage from Gaza to Israeli authorities”.

Reuters reported that the Israeli military also confirmed receiving the US-Israeli citizen hostage Edan Alexander.

Donald Trump defended his decision to accept the gift of a plane from Qatar at a press conference on Monday.

“They’re giving us a free jet,” said the US president, “I could say no, no, no, don’t give us, I wanna pay you $1bn or $400m or whatever it is, or I could say thank you very much.”