DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas on Monday released an Israeli-American soldier who had been held hostage in Gaza for more than 19 months, offering a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel.
The Israeli military confirmed that 21-year-old Edan Alexander was turned over to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces, and had crossed into Israeli territory.
Wearing shirts emblazoned with his name, Alexander's extended family gathered in Tel Aviv to watch the release. They chanted his name when the military said he was free. In Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, hundreds of people broke out into cheers.
In Alexander's hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, hundreds of supporters packed the streets, holding signs with his image and listening to speakers blasting Israeli music. As they watched the news of his release on a large screen, the crowd hugged and waved Israeli flags. Since he was taken hostage, supporters there gathered every Friday to march for the release of remaining hostages.
This is a photo gallery curated by Associated Press photo editors.
