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Hamas to release US-Israeli hostage as part of efforts to reach Gaza ceasefire
Hamas says it will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who is believed to be the last living captive with US nationality in Gaza, as a part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.
The decision comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East on Tuesday. Hamas said it was also intended to facilitate a deal for the entry of humanitarian aid. Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade for 70 days.
Earlier a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the Palestinian armed group was holding direct negotiations with a US administration official in Qatar.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said it had been informed by the US of the Hamas intention to release Alexander.
A senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC that Hamas’s announcement was intended as a goodwill gesture before Trump’s arrival.
He said another meeting between Hamas and the mediators was scheduled for early Monday morning to finalise the process of Edan’s release, which would require a temporary halt to Israeli military activity and a suspension of aerial operations during the handover.
President Trump confirmed Alexander’s release in a post on Truth Social, calling it “monumental news” and “a step taken in good faith”.
Born in Tel Aviv but raised in New Jersey, 21-year-old Alexander was serving in an elite infantry unit on the border with Gaza when he was captured by Hamas militants during the 7 October attack.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s 2023 attack, 59 remain in the enclave, up to 24 of whom are believed to be alive. Five of the hostages in Gaza are believed to be US citizens and Alexander was thought to be the only one still alive.
In its statement, Hamas said the release was part of efforts to achieve a ceasefire and allow food, medicine and other supplies into Gaza – which has been under a complete blockade by Israel for 70 days. The group said it wanted to reach a final agreement to end the war.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that it had been informed by the US of the Hamas intention to release Alexander “as a gesture towards the Americans” and that the move was expected to lead to negotiations on further hostages.
Israel’s policy was that negotiations would be conducted “under fire, based on the commitment to achieve all of the objectives of the war”, it added.
The Families and Missing Families Forum campaign group said Alexander’s release “must mark the beginning of a comprehensive agreement that will secure the freedom of all remaining hostages”.
They said President Trump had “given the families of all the hostages hope” and urged Netanyahu to now “bring everyone back”.
Hamas has in the past said it will only agree to a deal that includes the end of the war, something that has been repeatedly rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The talks between Hamas and the US are taking place amid multiple reports suggesting growing frustration in the Trump administration with Netanyahu’s position. The prime minister is also under pressure at home, with many accusing him of prolonging the war for political purposes.
President Donald Trump arrives in the Middle East on Tuesday, and Israel has vowed to expand its military offensive against Hamas if no deal is reached by the end of his visit.
Israeli officials have said the plans for their expanded offensive include seizing all of the territory indefinitely, forcibly displacing Palestinians to the south, and taking over aid distribution with private companies despite opposition from the UN and its humanitarian partners, who say they will not co-operate because it appears to “weaponise” aid.
Israel has already blocked the entry of all food, medication and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza for 70 days, which aid agencies say amounts to a policy of starvation and could be a war crime, and renewed its aerial bombardment and other military operations there in mid-March, which have since killed 2,720 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Since the beginning of the year, according to the UN, about 10,000 cases of acute malnutrition among children have been identified. Food prices have rocketed by as much as 1,400%.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which saw about 1,200 people killed and more than 250 taken hostage. Some 59 are still held captive, up to 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
Israel’s military campaign has killed 52,829 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
[BBC]
The Under-19 World Cups come thick and fast: once every two years. Soon enough, most of the players appearing in today’s final will graduate, their cricket limited by franchises and passports rather than age limits. But for now, India and England’s roads at this World Cup finally converge.
Both teams are unbeaten in the tournament so far. England stormed into the final after their captain, Thomas Rew, starred with a 110 that took them to a 27 run victory against defending champions Australia.
India were faced with a tall task of chasing down a record setting 311, against Afghanistan. However, India’s batters – led by a swashbuckling century by opener Aaron George raced to the target with 53 balls and seven wickets to spare, to lay down the marker on a Harare pitch that should continue to have plenty in it for the batters.
India and England have met once in the recent past: they faced off in a warm-up match right before the tournament proper. In the rain interrupted encounter, James Rew starred with a 66-ball 71* to take England home. This time around, there will be plenty more stakes involved for either side. They might as well be facing each other for the first time.
Aaron George was having an underwhelming Under-19 World Cup at the top of the order for India. His scores at the tournament had been 7, 23, and 16 when he came out to bat against Afghanistan. Under the spotlight, though, he put in his most impressive showing of the tournament. He led the chase with poise, being the last wicket to fall with just 11 runs left to knock off. By then, he had peppered the Afghan bowlers around the ground for 15 fours and two sixes during a classy 104-ball 115. He might revel under the spotlight some more in the final.
Thomas Rew has led England from the front in more ways than one. He is the fourth highest run-getter in the tournament, with 299 runs at an average of 74.75 and an equally impressive strike rate of 101.01. His footwork has been a class above his fellow England batters against spin especially, and if the Harare surface decides to spin and bounce, he will be keen to take off from where he left during his century against Australia in the first semi-final.
The Harare Sports Club has served up fast-paced pitches in the tournament so far. The semi-final between India and Afghanistan was a belter in particular, with the ball coming onto the bat and seeing an aggregate of 621 runs scored between both sides at a run rate of 6.81. If the final happens on a similar surface, conditions will favour the batters again.
The weather today [Friday] has a chance of light rain: the match will begin at 9.30am local time; shower and thunder might roll in after 5pm. The temperature will hover around the mid-20s (Celsius) throughout.
[Cricinfo]
Senior US and Iranian officials are expected to meet in Oman later for direct talks amid a crisis that has raised fears of a military confrontation between the two countries.
The discussions come after a US military build-up in the Middle East in response to Iran’s violent repression of nationwide anti-government protests last month, that human rights groups say killed many thousands of people.
Uncertainty over the location and scope had threatened to derail the talks, which are part of a diplomatic effort by regional mediators to de-escalate tensions.
Both countries remain far apart in their positions. The hope is that, if successful, the discussions could lead to a framework for negotiations.
The US, which is demanding Iran freezes its nuclear programme and discards its stockpile of enriched uranium, had said the talks should also involve Iran’s ballistic missiles, the country’s support for regional armed groups and its treatment of its citizens.
Iran, however, has said the discussions will be limited to its nuclear programme, and it is unclear if these differences have been resolved.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if it does not reach a deal. The US has sent thousands of troops and what Trump has described as an “armada” to the region, including an aircraft carrier along with other warships as well as fighter jets.
Iran has vowed to respond to an attack with force, threatening to strike American military assets in the Middle East and Israel.
The Iranian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who last week said his country’s armed forces were “with their fingers on the trigger”, while the US will be represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
[BBC]
The ICC and PCB are engaged in back-channel communications as the global governing body tries to find a way for its showpiece group match at the 2026 T20 World Cup between Pakistan and India to go ahead.
On instructions from their government, Pakistan will not take the field against India in Colombo on February 15, though they will play their other matches. The Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the decision was to show solidarity with Bangladesh, who were excluded from the T20 World Cup because they did not want to play in India, one of the co-hosts along with Sri Lanka.
Though the PCB has not publicly commented on the boycott of the group match against India, the ICC responded to the decision – originally conveyed by the Government of Pakistan on its ‘X’ account – saying it expected the PCB to “explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders.”
That resolution has been the subject of calls and meetings between Imran Khwaja, the ICC deputy chair, and Mubashir Usmani of the Emirates Cricket Board, who is also on the ICC Board. They have been in communication with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Salman Naseer, who is the PSL head but also a senior advisor to Naqvi.
The efforts had begun a week before the boycott was announced, when Naqvi had first raised doubts over Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup and said it would depend on the government. Naqvi travelled to the UAE that week as part of a state visit but is believed to have sought advice from officials there and met Khwaja on that trip. With Khwaja back in Singapore, where he is based, and Naqvi in Pakistan, discussions have since continued.
Initially the PCB was informed of potential sanctions Pakistan could face should they withdraw from the tournament entirely, though its response was that the issue is not about financial consequences. After the decision to exclude Bangladesh was taken, Naqvi criticised it, accusing the ICC of “double standards” and of doing an “injustice” to Bangladesh.
Since the announcement of the boycott, however, contact from the ICC has focused on addressing PCB’s grievances so that the game goes ahead. Khwaja has stepped in as a mediator in other recent disputes involving the PCB, BCCI and the ICC.
[Cricinfo]
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