Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, May 12th, that the release of a U.S.-Israeli hostage announced by Hamas would not lead to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip or the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Negotiations for a possible deal to secure the release of all hostages in Gaza would continue “under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.
Terror organisation Hamas on Sunday said it would release Edan Alexander, a U.S.-Israeli hostage held in Gaza, as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire in the war-battered territory.
No date was given, but the family of 21-year-old Alexander said they had been informed that he might be released “in the coming days.”
“Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists but only to a safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan,” Netanyahu said.
Gaza militants hold 58 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war, including 34 the Israeli military they say are dead.
