Hamas says it lost contact with US-Israeli hostage following Israeli strike

 

Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Tuesday that it had lost contact with a group of fighters holding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander in Gaza following an Israeli military strike on their location. The 21-year-old soldier, born in Tel Aviv and raised in New Jersey, was captured during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack while serving in an elite Israeli infantry unit near the Gaza border. 

 

Hamas spokesperson, Hudhaifa Kahlout—known by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida—said on Telegram that efforts to re-establish contact with the team were ongoing but provided no details on the location or timing of the alleged strike.

 

Alexander, one of 59 hostages still held in Gaza—24 of whom are believed to be alive—has appeared in recent Hamas videos. In a video released just before Passover, he accused the Israeli and US administrations of abandoning him, claiming physical and mental deterioration. Addressing President Donald Trump directly, Alexander expressed disillusionment, questioning why he had become a "victim of Netanyahu’s lies". 

 

Alexander also spoke about learning that Hamas was prepared to release him, but Israel rejected the proposal. The video, part of Hamas’s psychological warfare campaign, included captions like "Soon" and "Time is running out".

 

Hamas later released another video warning hostage families that their loved ones would "return in coffins". If Israel’s military offensive in Gaza continued. The rhetoric intensified as it rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal, which offered a 45-day truce in return for half the hostages in the first week, including Alexander on day one as a "gesture of goodwill".

 

Yet the other conditions demanded by Israel, such as giving up arms and ceding control of Gaza completely are unlikely to be acceptable to the group. A senior Palestinian official made it clear to the BBC that Hamas rejected the proposal because it demanded the group’s disarmament without Israel committing to end the war or withdraw from Gaza.

 

The Tikva Forum, representing some hostage families, had indicated that Alexander was among up to 10 hostages potentially releasable under a new ceasefire, citing discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and another hostage’s mother. However, Alexander’s father, Adi, questioned Netanyahu’s strategy in an interview on April 14, asking how hostages could be freed without ending the conflict or advancing to the second phase of a deal.

 

Hamas has consistently demanded a complete cessation of hostilities and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages. Of the 251 individuals taken hostage following the 2023 attacks, five are believed to be American citizens, with Alexander thought to be the only one still alive. Israel, which maintains it avoids striking locations where hostages are held, is yet to issue a clarification on Hamas’s claim of a strike ending contact with Alexander’s captors. The silence only adds to uncertainty and fear.

Middle East