The two sides were supposed to negotiate a second phase in which Hamas would release all of the remaining living hostages taken during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Since he is a soldier, Edan Alexander was not expected to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire, during which Hamas is releasing 33 hostages — mostly women and older or sick men — for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
As uncertainty swirls over the future of the fragile ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the families of hostages still in Gaza are struggling to maintain hope that they will see their loved ones soon.
Still, every week, Yael Alexander hoped in vain she might see her son’s name on a list of hostages to be freed.
After months of talks with no progress, the Trump administration was “speaking the language of the Middle East,” she said, giving credit to the president for applying pressure and clinching a ceasefire the day before his inauguration.
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