May 12: US envoy hopes Alexander’s release marks ‘beginning of end to this terrible war’

Health Ministry official says she’s ‘very concerned’ about condition of remaining hostages

Following the release of Edan Alexander from Gaza, the head of the Health Ministry’s medical division, Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, says she is “very concerned” about the health and well-being of the remaining hostages.

She delivers remarks to the press from Sorousky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where Alexander has been taken for treatment.

“It is obvious to us that the terrorist organizations are denying the hostages medical treatment, holding them in subhuman conditions, and subjecting them to physical and mental abuse,” she says.

“As a doctor and as a human, I am very concerned about the condition of all those who remain in the captivity of terror groups.”

Israel found out about US efforts to release Alexander via unofficial sources, days before Trump administration confirmed

Israel became aware on Friday, through unofficial sources, that the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander was likely to occur in the coming days, The Times of Israel has learned. The Trump administration then formally notified Jerusalem on Sunday of the arrangement with Hamas to release the dual national.

Yesterday, a source familiar with the effort to free Alexander told The Times of Israel that the US did not brief Israel on the effort to release Alexander until after Hamas had given its final approval to release the 21-year-old.

Israel was generally aware that efforts were ongoing, but only knew about them from its own intelligence operations, the source said yesterday.

Syria welcomes Trump’s suggestion that he could soon lift sanctions

Syria welcomes remarks Monday by US President Donald Trump indicating he was considering sanctions relief to the war-torn country as it seeks to rebuild, after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

A foreign ministry statement said Syria “welcomes the statements by US President Donald Trump concerning the possibility of lifting sanctions imposed on Syria, and considers them an encouraging step towards ending the suffering of the Syrian people.”

PM tells wounded troops things ‘never been seen before’ will soon happen in Israeli ‘occupied’ Gaza — report

In a meeting with wounded IDF soldiers this evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “within days, things are going to happen in Gaza. Things will happen that you have never seen before until now,” numerous Hebrew news outlets report.

The meeting was held with the forum “Wounded Soldiers for Victory,” which was established about two weeks ago with the aim of promoting the “destruction of Hamas,” according to a Ynet report.

In the hour-and-a-half-long meeting, Netanyahu listened to the soldiers’ accounts of their combat injuries and said to them that, while he is “giving a chance” for the return of the hostages, if these efforts do not succeed, the fighting will be intense and “to the end,” says Ynet.

Netanyahu is also quoted as having said that Israel will “occupy” Gaza and will take over security control over Gaza “forever.”

Last week, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel claimed on CNN that those calling for Israel to occupy Gaza are part of a fringe and don’t represent the position of the Israeli government.

IDF publishes footage of Edan Alexander meeting with Israeli troops in Gaza

Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander, left, meets with IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Footage shows the moment released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander met with IDF troops in the Gaza Strip earlier today, after 584 days in Hamas captivity.

Alexander was brought to the forces by the Red Cross after being freed by Hamas.

He is now being taken to a hospital in central Israel for medical treatment.

Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander meets with IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Watch: Edan Alexander reunites with his family after 584 days in Hamas captivity

Released hostage Edan Alexander embraces his mother Yael at an IDF base near Re'im, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander reunites with his family at an army facility near the Gaza border community of Re’im, after 584 days in Hamas captivity, new footage shows.

A video shows Alexander’s parents, Yael and Adi, and his siblings, embracing the former captive.

“Look how massive this kid is,” Alexander shouts as he embraces his brother.

Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander reunites with his family at an IDF base near Re’im, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Edan Alexander airlifted with his family from Re’im base to Tel Aviv hospital

Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander is airlifted along with his family from the Re'im base in southern Israel to Sourasky Hospital in Tel Aviv, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander is being airlifted with members of his family in an Israeli Air Force helicopter from the Re’im base in southern Israel to Sourasky Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Aboard the chopper, Alexander writes on a whiteboard: “Thank you President Trump!!! Am Yisrael Chai!!! Onward Golani 51,” referring to his battalion in the army.

תיעוד של עידן אלכסנדר מהמסוק לביה"ח: "תודה טראמפ, עם ישראל חי, היידה גולני"@NOFARMOS pic.twitter.com/e4AUWU7tfq

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 12, 2025

UN chief calls for today’s hostage release to lead to immediate, permanent truce in Gaza

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges Israel and Hamas to build on the release of Edan Alexander and reach an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza that will ensure the unconditional release of all hostages, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says.

He commends efforts by the mediators – Egypt, Qatar, and the United States – to bring an end to the war in Gaza that followed Hamas’ invasion and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Dujarric says.

Guterres also calls on all parties to ensure the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid, which is “not negotiable,” the spokesman says.

‘Finally!’ NJ Senator Andy Kim celebrates Edan Alexander’s release

US Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey celebrates the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, who hails from Tenafly, NJ.

“Finally!” writes Kim on X. “Edan will be in the arms of his mom and dad. I cannot imagine what this means for the Alexander family.”

He vows that the Tenafly community and the US at large will support Alexander throughout his recovery process, and will continue to push for the return of the remaining 58 hostages.

Finally! Edan will be in the arms of his mom and dad. I cannot imagine what this means for the Alexander family. 580+ days of pain leading to this moment. Everyone from their Tenafly community to others across America can breathe a sigh but recognize we need to be there for Edan… pic.twitter.com/tE5ldyEh5T

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) May 12, 2025

Report: PM told coalition heads he supports Witkoff deal, but not negotiations on ending the war with Hamas in charge

In a discussion over the phone this afternoon, Netanyahu and his coalition heads approved a resumption of hostage talks, but reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to the “Witkoff framework,” Channel 12 reports.

The framework would see a temporary ceasefire of some 40 days, in exchange for about half of the remaining hostages.

Israel remains opposed, however, to any deal that would guarantee serious negotiations for ending the war altogether, unless Hamas agrees to options that aren’t currently on the table, such as leaving the Strip.

A source who was present for the discussions says there was pessimism about the prospects of the new talks, but that the coalition leaders gave Netanyahu a green light to send the delegation — even though National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were opposed.

Channel 12 also reports that Hamas is “convinced that Israel is galloping to war,” and that its current strategy — including talks with the US — is intended to convince the US to push Israel to make a deal.

Kibbutz Nir Oz says today’s hostage release proves Israeli lives ‘are worth less’ than US citizens’

Kibbutz Nir Oz says it is “deeply moved” by the release of Edan Alexander, calling his return “a bright light in the darkness we find ourselves in,” but says that it feels as though the lives of hostages without US citizenship “are worth less.”

“It is hard to ignore the difficult message that the citizens of the State of Israel are receiving today, and which is being conveyed to the entire world: Our lives are worth less,” the statement asserts.

“A hostage with an American passport is given priority, while the other 58 hostages are left behind — 14 of whom are members of the Nir Oz community — and the fear for their fate is greater than ever.”

‘You are strong. You are safe:’ Yael Alexander holds first phone call with son Edan upon release from Gaza

Yael Alexander (center) speaks on the phone with her son Edan Alexander, following his release from Hamas captivity, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Prime Minister’s Office shares footage of Yael Alexander speaking on the phone with her son, Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander, for the first time, following his release from Hamas captivity.

“You are strong. You are safe. You are home. We’ll see each other soon. I love you,” she says.

Yael Alexander speaks with her son, Edan Alexander, upon his release from Hamas captivity, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Al Jazeera says Palestinian Authority has allowed it to resume work in West Bank

The Al Jazeera television network offices in Ramallah in the West Bank on May 5, 2024. (Zain JAAFAR/ AFP/ File)

Al Jazeera’s Ramallah bureau chief says the news channel can resume working in the West Bank, after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lifted a ban that has been in place since January.

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to lift the ban on the Al Jazeera network and allow its crews to resume work in the Palestinian territories starting tomorrow morning,” Waleed Omari says, in a statement to the Israeli-Palestinian Foreign Press Association.

An official Palestinian source confirms the removal of the ban to AFP.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) ordered the suspension of the Qatar-based channel’s broadcasts on January 1, accusing it of incitement.

At the time, the channel had aired footage of what appeared to be PA security officers entering the network’s office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders.

Al Jazeera accused the PA, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank, of “attempting to deter Al Jazeera from covering escalating events in the occupied Palestinian territories,” including in Jenin and its refugee camp.

At the time of the channel’s suspension, PA security forces had been engaged in weeks of deadly clashes with terrorists in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.

Al Jazeera remains banned from broadcasting from Israel, since a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government prompted his government to order the channel’s closure in May 2024.

The Qatari broadcaster has close ties with Hamas and has long been accused of having a distinct anti-Israel slant.

Red Cross says it’s ‘relieved’ by return of Alexander, calls for truce to be ‘urgently reinstated’

After facilitating the release of Hamas hostage Edan Alexander today, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is “relieved that one more family has been reunited today.”

“This nightmare, however, continues for the remaining hostages, their families, and hundreds of thousands of civilians across Gaza,” says ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, before urging a ceasefire.

“We urgently need political will to save lives and reinstate the ceasefire. It is critical that civilians are spared from hostilities, humanitarian relief enters Gaza, and more families are reunited,” she says.

The ICRC also condemns the “horrific” continued captivity of the remaining 58 hostages, noting it violates international law.

It adds: “The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is catastrophic. Under international humanitarian law, the rapid and unhindered passage of humanitarian relief for civilians must be allowed and facilitated. The ICRC also reiterates that it must be given access to Palestinian detainees held by Israel.”

The ICRC calls for the ceasefire that collapsed in March to be “urgently reinstated,” and reiterates its commitment to helping any aid operations or further releases of hostages.

Israeli Air Force resumes Gaza strikes after brief pause for hostage release

The Israeli Air Force has resumed its airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reports, after a pause of several hours during the release of hostage soldier Edan Alexander.

The IDF limited its activity in Gaza today to enable the release of Alexander.

NJ Senator Cory Booker ‘overjoyed’ by Edan Alexander’s release, calls for Gaza ceasefire

US Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, the home state of recently freed hostage Edan Alexander, says he is “overjoyed” by Alexander’s return after 583 (584) days in Hamas captivity.

In a post on X, Booker calls for the immediate release of all remaining hostages “living or dead,” and urges a recommitment to a ceasefire in Gaza alongside increased humanitarian aid.

Booker also reaffirms his support for a two-state solution, stressing the need to protect Israel’s existence as a democratic Jewish state and secure Palestinian self-determination. He urges the Trump administration to promote these goals during the US president’s upcoming visit to the region.

Herzog watched hostage release on his phone, together with German chancellor in Berlin

President Isaac Herzog (left) watches the release of hostage Edan Alexander in the Federal Chancellery in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, May 12, 2025. (Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog watched the release from Gaza of Israeli-US hostage Edan Alexander on his phone, alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during the final minutes of their meeting in Berlin this afternoon.

During a press conference earlier today alongside the German president, Herzog said he welcomed Alexander’s release “with deep emotion and trembling hearts,” stressing that Israel does not distinguish between its citizens “who hold a foreign passport and those who do not. We are all members of the same family. We are all equal. All the hostages are equal.”

The Israeli president is in Germany marking 60 years of diplomatic ties between the nations, and is slated to host German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Israel tomorrow.

President Isaac Herzog watched the release of Israeli-US hostage Edan Alexander on his phone in the final minutes of his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/IQQOvNuB0v

— Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) May 12, 2025

‘I can finally breathe,’ says friend and comrade of Edan Alexander

“I feel like I can finally breathe,” says Agam Shalam, who went to high school and trained for the IDF in a unit with Edan Alexander, the hostage who was freed this evening from captivity.

She recalls being on a kibbutz in southern Israel when the Hamas terror group attacked on October 7, 2023, hiding in bomb shelters and, after a couple of days, hearing that a military officer had contacted Alexander’s parents to say that he had been taken hostage.

She called it “an insane thing to hear, for the first time. I don’t think anyone ever, I never expected for my friend to be held hostage, not for a day, not for a week, and certainly not for 580 days.”

‘Edan is coming home’: Golani brigade commander tells troops over radio of his soldier’s return

Golani Brigade commander Col. Adi Ganon speaks to his forces over the radio in southern Gaza's Rafah, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The commander of the Golani Brigade Col. Adi Ganon spoke over the radio to his troops today, following the release of his soldier, Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander, from Hamas captivity.

“Today, as we fight the same cruel and bloodthirsty enemy, we received the news of Edan’s release from Hamas captivity. Edan, who fought on that terrible morning, is coming home,” Ganon says, in a video published by the army.

“The Golani family embraces you, is moved by your return, and stands with you all the way,” he adds.

Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion at the time of his abduction. He was kidnapped from his base near the Gaza border community of Nirim, known as the White House post, during the October 7 onslaught.

The Golani Brigade has been battling Hamas operatives in Rafah’s Jenina neighborhood in recent days.

Parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin celebrate return of Edan Alexander

As Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander crosses the border back into Israel, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, post a message on social media.

“In 584 days, we’ve come to know and love the Alexander family,” says Polin. “Adi, Yael, Savta Varda, Aunt Iris and Uncle Levi and all of the extended family, today we are celebrating with all of you.”

The Goldberg-Polins and Alexanders were part of the group of American-Israeli dual citizen families fighting for their loved ones since the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught, where their sons were taken hostage.

“And most important, Edan, we’ve grown to love you without ever having met you,” says Rachel Goldberg-Polin. “We’re so relieved that you are home, welcome home.”

“And to everyone,” says Goldberg-Polin, raising her finger in warning, “we have 58 more people that have to come home.”

Report: Edan Alexander suffered severe torture in captivity, was kept handcuffed in a cage

Released hostage Edan Alexander suffered severe torture and was held handcuffed in a cage for an extended period of time, according to his initial testimony, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

Alexander, who was abducted on October 7, 2023, was reportedly interrogated for weeks and held in a Hamas tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip alongside other hostages.

Katz thanks Trump and US for ‘assistance’ in securing release of Alexander

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he is “thrilled” to see released hostage Edan Alexander reunite with his family, following his release from Hamas captivity.

“I thank the president of the United States and the American administration for their efforts and assistance in securing his release,” says Katz.

He says Israel is committed to “doing whatever is necessary until all our hostages, our sisters and brothers, the living and dead alike, return to our land.”

High Court rules government’s chosen method for appointing Civil Service head invalid

In the latest blow by the High Court of Justice against the current government, the court rules that the cabinet resolution from 2024 to appoint a new head of the Civil Service without a competitive process is invalid.

The court, in a majority two-to-one decision, determines that the process for appointing a Civil Service commissioner must be carried out by creating a permanent appointments process, which involves a competitive hiring system.

Writing for the majority, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit asserts that the process chosen by the government — whereby the prime minister selects a candidate who is then vetted by an appointments committee — is lacking sufficient guardrails to guarantee the independence, impartiality, and apolitical nature of the Civil Service commissioner role.

And neither, maintains Amit, does it guarantee that the best candidate will be appointed to the job.

In a dissenting opinion, Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg writes that there is no justification for court intervention over the issue of a competitive appointments process, since the law for the Civil Service states explicitly that there is no obligation to issue a public tender for the position

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a radical voice in the Likud party, calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ignore the court ruling, and slams Amit and Judge Daphne Barak Erez, who ruled with Amit against the cabinet resolution, “anti-democratic,” accusing them of “showing contempt for the law.”

Stormed Karhi on X “We have another opportunity to say to the High Court ‘No!’ To protect democracy and the balance between the branches of government we have to tell the High Court ‘No!'”

One of the petitioners, The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, says, however, that the ruling “constitutes another pillar in protecting the independence and professionalism of the public service.”

IDF chief vows military will keep working for release of all 58 remaining hostages

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (3rd L) and Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, the IDF's point man in the hostage negotiations (2nd R) watch the release of Israeli-US soldier Edan Alexander at the military's hostages and missing persons headquarters on May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Speaking at the military’s hostages and missing persons headquarters during the release of hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vows that the army will continue to work for the release of the remaining captives held by Hamas.

“We are excited and we welcome the return of Edan, an IDF fighter, home,” Zamir says.

“And alongside this, we do not forget our commitment to return the 58 hostages in Hamas captivity. They are before our eyes at all times. We will continue to operate using all the tools at our disposal to bring them back,” he adds.

Netanyahu credits Israeli military pressure, US diplomacy for release of Edan Alexander

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes the return of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, calling it a “very emotional moment” and crediting both Israeli military pressure and diplomatic efforts by US President Donald Trump.

In a video released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu says the release was “achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump,” calling it “a winning combination.”

Netanyahu adds that he spoke with Trump, who reaffirmed his commitment to Israel and promised to “continue working closely” to achieve the war’s goals: freeing all hostages and defeating Hamas.

“These goals go hand in hand,” Netanyahu says in the video.

Alexander’s return is ‘beacon of light and hope,’ hostages forum says

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomes the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander “after 584 agonizing days of captivity.”

“Edan’s release is a beacon of light and hope, and it is also a reminder that 58 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza,” it says. “No hostage can be left behind. Unless all of them return, there will be no Israeli victory.”

“The return of all the hostages is the most urgent and important national mission of our generation,” the forum adds.

Edan Alexander arrives at IDF facility near Gaza border for physical, mental checkup

Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander has arrived at an IDF facility near the border community of Re’im after being escorted out of the Gaza Strip by troops, the military says.

He will undergo an initial physical and mental checkup at the army site, and meet family members.

US envoy: We hope Alexander’s release marks ‘the beginning of the end to this terrible war’

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee holds a press conference at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, May 9, 2025. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Echoing US President Donald Trump, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee posts on X his hope that today’s release of American-Israeli Edan Alexander by Hamas “marks the beginning of the end to this terrible war.”

This appears to be one of the first times in recent months that US officials have talked about ending the war in Gaza, in what seems to be a break with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has voted to massively expand its military campaign in the Strip with the aim of dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities — something it has yet to do through 20 months of fighting.

I am relieved that American Edan Alexander finally gets to come home. As @POTUS said, we hope that this long-overdue release marks the beginning of the end to this terrible war. Hamas alone is responsible for the continued death and suffering. We demand the immediate release of…

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@USAmbIsrael) May 12, 2025

Huckabee clarifies, “Hamas alone is responsible for the continued death and suffering.”

“We demand the immediate release of all remaining hostages,” the US envoy adds.

Edan Alexander’s father being taken to Re’im base by Air Force to reunite with his son

Adi Alexander, the father of hostage soldier Edan Alexander, has been airlifted by an Israeli Air Force helicopter from Ben Gurion Airport to the Re’im base in southern Israel, shortly after arriving in the country from the US, a defense official says.

Alexander is currently being escorted out of the Gaza Strip by the IDF and brought to the IDF facility near Re’im for an initial checkup and to meet with his family.

His mother arrived at the Re’im base earlier today.

IDF: Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander has crossed into Israel after 584 days in captivity

Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander has crossed the border into Israel, after 584 days in Hamas captivity, the IDF says.

He was escorted out of the Gaza Strip by Israeli special forces, after being handed over to them by the Red Cross.

The IDF is bringing him to a facility near the border for an initial physical and mental checkup, and to meet with his family members.

Hundreds celebrate Alexander’s release in his New Jersey hometown

Hundreds celebrate Edan Alexander’s release in his hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, May 12, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

A crowd of hundreds celebrates Edan Alexander’s release in his hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey.

The crowd watches a broadcast of Israeli news and erupts in cheers when it hears that Alexander is with the IDF.

Students draped in Israeli flags dance at the front and sing to the Hebrew pop song “Happiness Revolution.” The group then chants “Bring them home” for the hostages remaining in Gaza.

Many in the crowd are from local high schools. Students say the public school excused pupils from class for the day. The town has a large Jewish and Israeli expat population.

Some in the crowd cry and embrace. Many wave Israeli flags and wear shirts with Alexander’s image.

Joy in Tenafly, Eden Alexander’s hometown, at the news he is released pic.twitter.com/ykBlRZ8dA5

— Luke Tress (@luketress) May 12, 2025

PM’s office welcomes release of Edan Alexander

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.

“The Israeli government is committed to the return of all the hostages and the missing — both the living and the dead,” reads the statement. “We will continue to work tirelessly until everyone is returned home to Israel.”

Alexander’s release is the result of negotiations between the US and Hamas, and Israel was reportedly not aware of the deal until after it was reached.

IDF says troops in Gaza have received Edan Alexander

Released hostage soldier Edan Alexander is now in the hands of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, the military says.

Hamas handed Alexander over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis without a ceremony. He was then taken to Israeli forces inside Gaza.

He will be brought out of the Strip to an army facility near the border community of Re’im for an initial checkup.

Trump says US ‘may very well’ lift sanctions on Syria, give them a ‘fresh start’

US President Donald Trump hails Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and thanks him for hosting direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on Thursday.

He tells reporters during a White House press conference that he may even fly to Turkey to join those talks. He is flying to Saudi Arabia later today, and will be in Qatar and the UAE on Thursday.

Trump says Erdogan and others have asked him to lift US sanctions on Syria.

“We have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start,” Trump says.

Turkey is the largest foreign backer of the new Islamist regime in Syria led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the overthrow of dictator Bashar Assad.

Israel has cautioned the US against warming up to Erdogan and the new regime in Syria.

IDF chief held assessment at military’s hostages and missing persons HQ during release of Edan Alexander

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held an assessment at the military’s hostages and missing persons headquarters a short while ago, the IDF says.

The assessment came as Hamas releases hostage soldier Edan Alexander.

Trump: ‘Edan Alexander being released’

US President Donald Trump posts on Truth Social, “Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage, is being released.”

“Congratulations to his wonderful parents, family, and friends!” Trump adds.

In photo from his release, Edan Alexander stands unassisted, flanked by Hamas terrorists

Freed hostage Edan Alexander with a representative of the Red Cross, flanked by Hamas gunmen in the Gaza Strip on May 12, 2025. (via Al Jazeera)

The Al Jazeera news network publishes an image of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander in the moments before his release.

In the photo, Alexander is standing unassisted, with his hands folded in front of him. He is flanked by a Red Cross worker, and three armed and masked Hamas terrorists.

Alexander, despite being a soldier, is not seen wearing the quasi-military uniform that Hamas forced other released hostages to wear during their release.

Watch: Family, friends and the public celebrate as IDF says Red Cross has Edan Alexander

Residents and friends gather in Huyler Park ahead of the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander by Hamas on May 12, 2025 in Tenafly, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

The family and friends of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander erupt into cheers as the IDF announces that he has been transferred to the Red Cross and is en route to meet with Israeli troops.

The cheers give way to applause, and then the group of his loved ones, all wearing matching shirts and hats with his name emblazoned across in yellow, begin chanting his name.

“Edan! Edan! Edan!”

Edan Alexander’s family and friends cheer as they hear that he has successfully been transferred to the Red Cross in Gaza, on May 12, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/ Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Elsewhere, in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, members of the public have gathered to watch his release.

As the IDF’s statement confirming Edan’s transfer to the Red Cross is read aloud over a loudspeaker, they begin cheering and applauding.

A man close to the front of the crowd jumps up and down, waving his hands in the air as he cheers.

Crowds celebrate in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square as the IDF announces Edan Alexander’s release from Hamas captivity, on May 12, 2025. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Meanwhile, in Alexander’s hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, members of his family’s community watch coverage of his release. Many of them are waving Israeli and American flags as they celebrate.

Proud to be standing with my Tenafly community as we watch the release of Edan Alexander. #bringhimhome pic.twitter.com/DF4rljmXki

— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) May 12, 2025

IDF: Red Cross confirms it has Edan Alexander, bringing him to Israeli troops now

Red Cross vehicles (right) enter Gaza en route to collect hostage Edan Alexander, as Israelis (left) await his release, May 12, 2025. (Channel 12 screenshot)

The IDF says the Red Cross has notified the military that hostage soldier Edan Alexander was handed over to it by Hamas in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.

The Red Cross is now bringing Alexander to IDF special forces inside Gaza to then be escorted out of the Strip, the military adds.

Alexander was released by Hamas without a public ceremony.

Hamas says it has released Edan Alexander; IDF yet to confirm he was handed over to Red Cross

Hamas, in a statement, claims that it released hostage soldier Edan Alexander a short while ago.

The terror group says the move came following “important talks” with the US, “to which Hamas responded positively and with great flexibility.”

Despite the statement, the IDF has not yet confirmed that Alexander was handed over to the Red Cross. A military official says the IDF has received no indication yet from the Red Cross that it has received Alexander.

Hamas stresses its willingness to immediately begin negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, the lifting of the blockade on Gaza, the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Israelis have gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, anxiously awaiting Alexander’s release.

Funeral held for soldier Zvi Feldman, whose body was recovered from Syria after 43 years

The funeral of Israeli soldier Zvi Feldman in Holon military cemetery near Tel Aviv on May 12, 2025. The IDF said on May 11, that it had repatriated the body of a soldier missing for more than four decades, after locating the remains in the 'heart of Syria' during a special operation with the Mossad intelligence agency (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

Hundreds gather in the Holon military cemetery to pay their respects to Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, whose body was recently recovered from Syria and returned to Israel for burial almost 43 years after he went missing during the First Lebanon War.

The funeral begins with Feldman’s brothers, Yitzhak and Shlomo, reciting Kaddish, the Jewish mourners’ prayer.

His sister Anat eulogizes him, recalling the day he was called up to the front lines, and the hope she had clung to that he was still alive.

“The long journey of my life as the sister of a missing soldier began that Saturday, when they came to draft Itzik [into reserves] and you said to Itzik: ‘Don’t be afraid of the battle, it will be okay,'” Anat recalled of her long-absent brother.

Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman (Courtesy)

“The next day, you and I were in uniform and headed south. Me, a conscripted soldier, and you, called up to reserves.”

She says that after her brother vanished, the IDF wanted to release her from the remainder of her service, but she refused. “I wanted you to be proud of me,” she says.

“My beloved brother Zvika, you returned to us, to the homeland you loved so much. You are being buried as a warrior who died defending the Land of Israel and our people,” says Anat. “I am so proud of you.”

Trump says ‘very good things happening’ with Iran after latest nuclear talks

US President Donald Trump says that there are “very good things happening” with Iran, a day after Washington held a fourth round of nuclear talks with Tehran.

“They can’t have a nuclear weapon, but I think that they are talking intelligently,” Trump says during a White House press conference.

“We’re in the midst of talking to them, and they’re right now acting very intelligent.”

“We want Iran to be wealthy and wonderful and happy and great, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump says.

Witkoff, Gal Hirsch en route to Re’im facility where Edan Alexander will be brought by IDF

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Israeli government hostage point man Gal Hirsch are en route to an IDF facility in Re’im where Edan Alexander is expected to be brought after he is released by Hamas from captivity in Gaza, The Times of Israel has learned.

They are being transported there in an Israeli Air Force helicopter.

Herzog meets with Merz, as first foreign leader to be hosted by new German chancellor

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) welcomes President Isaac Herzog on May 12, 2025 at the Chancellery in Berlin (Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)

BERLIN — President Isaac Herzog meets with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.

Merz, who was only sworn in last week, notes while greeting him that the Israeli president is the first foreign leader he has hosted since taking office.

The two are not slated to make any public remarks. Merz tweeted earlier today in German and Hebrew that for the past 60 years, Israeli-German ties “have been a symbol of reconciliation and the unique responsibility of our country toward Israel.”

Therefore, he wrote, “we will act resolutely against antisemitism. The existence of Israel and its security are anchored in the essence of our existence.”

Herzog will be hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for a state dinner this evening, then return to Israel tomorrow morning. Steinmeier will be joining Herzog in Israel for his own state visit, which will include a visit to Kibbutz Be’eri, which was devastated during Hamas’s October 7 attack.

New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz greets Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Chancellery in Berlin.

Herzog is the first foreign leader to be hosted by Merz, who was only sworn in last week. pic.twitter.com/HZcMIpy7px

— Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) May 12, 2025

Trump says he hopes other hostages will be released after Edan Alexander

US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

Asked whether today’s release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander will be a step toward a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, US President Donald Trump says, “We hope that we’re going to have other hostages released.”

Trump adds that once Alexander is released, there will be 20 living hostages still in Gaza and 58 in total.

Israel has not officially confirmed this number though there are three hostages, of the previously thought 24 alive, who it believes may have died.

Red Cross representatives heading for hostage handover site in Khan Younis to pick up Edan Alexander

Hostage soldier Edan Alexander is seen in a propaganda video released by the Hamas terror group on April 12, 2025. (Courtesy)

Red Cross representatives are heading for a hostage handover site in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis to pick up Edan Alexander from Hamas, an Israeli defense official says.

Red Cross vehicles (right) enter Gaza en route to collect hostage Edan Alexander, as Israelis (left) await his release, May 12, 2025. (Channel 12 screenshot)

Alexander will be brought by the Red Cross to IDF special forces inside the Gaza Strip, and from there taken to a facility at the Re’im base inside Israel.

Livestream footage from Gaza shows the scene in Khan Younis, where the handover is to take place without a Hamas propaganda ceremony.

Hostage forum places plea to US president in pro-Trump newspaper: ‘Our hope rests with you’

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum places an ad in The New York Post, thought by some to be US President Donald Trump’s favorite newspaper, congratulating him on his upcoming trip to the Middle East and calling for him to help broker a comprehensive hostage deal.

“Your vision for peace in the Middle East depends on the release of all 59 hostages held by Hamas,” the advert reads in the pro-Trump outlet.

“Their return will bring hope for a new reality in the Middle East. We know bringing all hostages home is your personal mission,” says the forum, which represents the majority of relatives of those held in Gaza.

“Our hope rests with you.”

According to Politico, Trump is a subscriber to the newspaper at his Florida home.

מטה משפחות החטופים במודעה ב"ניו יורק פוסט: "הנשיא טראמפ, מאחלים לך הצלחה במסע ההיסטורי – חזונך לשלום במזרח התיכון תלוי בשחרור של כל 59 החטופים, אנחנו יודעים שהשבת כולם הביתה היא משימה אישית עבורך; תקוותנו עימך"@yaelsharet_ pic.twitter.com/AEcP0hVK6g

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) May 12, 2025

UNIFIL says it has found more than 225 Hezbollah arms caches in south Lebanon since start of truce

United Nations peacekeepers drive in vehicles of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) past destroyed buildings while patroling in Lebanon's southern village of Kfar Kila close to the border with Israel on April 6, 2025. (Rabih DAHER / AFP)

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon says that since the start of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, it has uncovered more than 225 weapons caches in the south and referred them to the army.

The November truce largely ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group, including two months of all-out war.

Under the deal, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani River and Israel was to pull all its forces from south Lebanon. Israel nevertheless has kept troops in five areas it deems “strategic.”

The Lebanese army has been deploying in the area as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure there.

Since the November 27 truce began, “peacekeepers have found over 225 weapons caches and referred them” to the Lebanese army, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon says in a statement.

UNIFIL also has a seat on the ceasefire monitoring committee, alongside truce brokers France and the United States, and the Israeli and Lebanese governments.

“With UNIFIL support,” Lebanon’s army has “redeployed to more than 120 permanent positions south of the Litani,” the peacekeeping force says.

It criticizes the IDF for keeping troops in five areas, saying that the “full deployment” of the Lebanese army has been “hindered” as a result.

Eilat resident arrested over fatal boating accident at Neviot Beach

Magen David Adom first responders search for people who fell overboard from a boat that overturned in Eilat on May 7, 2025. (Magen David Adom)

Police arrested a 33-year-old Eilat resident yesterday thought to be involved in a fatal boating accident last week at Neviot Beach.

On Wednesday, a boat capsized off the resort city’s coast after taking a sharp turn, killing 21-year-old Yitzhak Lizerowitz and injuring nine others. Lizerowitz, a Breslov Hasid who lived in Tiberias with his wife and infant daughter, was buried in Jerusalem the day after the accident.

Police arrested the boat’s 24-year-old operator Wednesday night on suspicion of manslaughter, claiming he acted with negligence, and seized his vessel. It is unclear what role the suspect arrested today is thought to have played in the incident.

Today, the Eilat Magistrate’s Court extend the detention of both suspects until Thursday as police continue their investigation.

Ben Gvir says Israel must ‘stop procrastinating’ and ‘open gates of hell’ on Gaza

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leads an Otzma Yehudit faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 12, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The “ultimate goal” of Israel’s war in Gaza is the defeat of Hamas, and “the only way to safely return all our hostages” is a complete military victory, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir declares ahead of the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.

“We have received American backing to open the gates of hell on Gaza — we must stop procrastinating, and go on the offensive to defeat it,” Ben Gvir tells reporters ahead of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party’s weekly faction meeting.

Calling on Israel to encourage Palestinian emigration, shut off humanitarian aid — which has not entered the Strip for more than two months — and “rescue our hostages by force,” Ben Gvir urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “go to the end, carry out our duty, and destroy Hamas.”

“Mr. Prime Minister, we must not stop. President Trump gave us backing several months ago to open the gates of hell on Hamas, and we are delaying. We must stop delaying and launch the decisive attack. To occupy the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, and to encourage the migration of Gazans to countries around the world,” he says.

Asked about Trump’s call to end the war, Ben Gvir responds that the US president has not retracted his statement that “all hell will break out” if the hostages aren’t released.

“Sorry, but the Israeli government needs to be more determined to open the gates of hell. I don’t blame Trump, I blame some of our people who are a little hesitant. We shouldn’t hesitate,” he says.

In an overnight announcement, US President Donald Trump stated that the pending release of Alexander, a dual American-Israeli citizen, “was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.”

Asked about the Haredi enlistment legislation currently being debated in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Ben Gvir declines to explicitly state a position, instead boasting that under his authority, the Border Police have been making a push to recruit members of the ultra-Orthodox community.

At White House press briefing, Trump hails imminent release of hostage Edan Alexander

US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander will be released “in about two hours or sometime today,” US President Donald Trump announces.

“They thought he was dead just a short while ago,” Trump reiterates, in remarks to reporters at the White House.

Hamas last month announced that it had lost contact with Alexander’s captors after an Israeli airstrike, but there have been no reports of anyone believing that he was no longer alive.

Trump refers to Alexander as “the only American citizen” still held hostage, but the bodies of four others — Judih Weinstein Haggai, Gadi Haggai, Itay Chen and Omer Neutra — are among the 59 hostages still held in Gaza.

Edan Alexander’s release will mean no Golani Brigade soldiers held in Gaza for first time in over a decade

Troops of the Golani Brigade operate in southern Gaza's Rafah, in a handout photo issued on May 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The expected release of US-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander will mark the first time in over a decade that the Israel Defense Force’s Golani Brigade won’t have any hostages held in the Gaza Strip, Army Radio notes.

The “closing of the circle” comes after the January recovery of the body of soldier Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, who was killed and captured by Hamas in 2014, the outlet says.

Alexander will also be the first male hostage soldier abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, to be returned to Israel by the terror group.

Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade at the time of his abduction. He was kidnapped from his base near the Gaza border community of Nirim, known as the White House post, during the October 7 onslaught.

Currently, Hamas is holding 14 male Israeli soldiers hostage, eight of whom have been declared dead, among them the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was also killed in 2014.

Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul (Courtesy)

After call with Trump and meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu says he’ll send delegation to hostage talks in Doha tomorrow

Protesters calling for a hostage deal to free the remaining Gaza captives gather in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv ahead of the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, on May 12, 2025. (Alon Gilboa/Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending a delegation to Doha tomorrow to negotiate a hostage release and ceasefire deal to enable the release of the remaining Gaza hostages, the Prime Minister’s Office announces.

The announcement comes after Netanyahu spoke with US President Donald Trump, and following a meeting with US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, the PMO says.

The premier “thanked President Trump for his assistance in securing the release of IDF soldier Edan Alexander,” the statement reads, while Trump “reiterated his commitment to Israel and his desire to continue close cooperation with the prime minister.”

In his meeting with Witkoff and Huckabee, Netanyahu discussed “the recent effort to implement the hostage release framework presented by Witkoff” ahead of the IDF’s potential expanded ground campaign in Gaza, the PMO continues, adding, “To that end, the prime minister instructed that a negotiation delegation be sent to Doha tomorrow.”

Netanyahu clarified that “the negotiations will take place only under fire,” with the military campaign against Hamas ongoing, concludes the PMO.

Protesters calling for hostage deal march through Tel Aviv ahead of rally outside US Embassy branch

Protesters calling for a hostage deal march through Tel Aviv on their way to the US Embassy branch office on May 12, 2025 (Menahem Kahana / AFP)

Protesters are marching through Tel Aviv on their way to a rally outside the US Embassy branch in the coastal city, calling for a deal that would secure the release of all the hostages held in Gaza.

Protesters are expected to rally outside the embassy branch at 5:30 p.m.

The demonstration comes ahead of the expected release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.

Alexander’s release was announced by the Hamas terror group as a gesture of goodwill to US President Donald Trump ahead of his trip to the region.

Smotrich claims Israel enabled release of Edan Alexander through ‘military, political pressure’ on Hamas

Finance Minister Religious Zionist party head Bezalel Smotrich leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, May 12, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Rejecting criticism about Israel having played no role in the pending release of hostage Edan Alexander, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declares that “you have to be crazy to turn an event like this into something that is against the government.”

“A heroic fighter, a lone soldier who came to Israel to enlist in the army and serve the homeland, is released from captivity without any compensation or conditions — we are not releasing a single terrorist, we are not delivering humanitarian aid, we are not stopping the war and we are not surrendering,” Smotrich tells reporters in the Knesset ahead of his Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting.

“Just two months ago, there were those who were talking about how in order to free Edan we would have to release 250 murderous terrorists with blood on their hands” but now he is being freed “because we have created military and political pressure on Hamas,” Smotrich claims.

Hamas “understands that we have no intention of surrendering and if it wants something, it is the one who has to pay upfront and not the other way around,” he asserts — adding that the government is “committed to bringing about everyone’s release.”

Smotrich’s comments appeared at odds with recent statements by senior American officials.

In an overnight announcement, US President Donald Trump stated that the American-Israeli’s pending release “was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.”

“Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict,” Trump said.

This rhetoric echoes that of US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, whom Channel 12 recently reported had told families of hostages held in Gaza that he disagrees with Israel’s approach to the war in the Strip, and believes reaching a new ceasefire and hostage release deal is the correct next step to take.

Walla news reported that Witkoff was currently holding talks with Hamas, Qatar, Egypt and Israel on a hostage deal and longer-term calm. Hamas has stated that Alexander’s release was meant as a goodwill gesture in the hope that Washington will coax Israel to end the war in Gaza, a source involved in the mediation effort told The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu sues Democrats chair Yair Golan for defamation over comments on Qatargate scandal

Leader of the Democrats party Yair Golan waves what he says is a defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 12, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu serves Democrats chairman Yair Golan with a defamation suit over messages he sent to supporters accusing the premier of peddling the country’s security for money in the so-called Qatargate scandal.

“This morning, a messenger from Netanyahu, who received a permit to enter the Knesset, was waiting for me here with a lawsuit. Netanyahu is suing me because I said he must be investigated for his connection to the Qatari money. I am happy about the lawsuit,” Golan tells reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

Golan says that a defamation trial would provide “an excellent opportunity to put Netanyahu on the witness stand” and ask him why he didn’t fire senior aide Jonatan Urich, a key suspect in the ongoing Qatargate probe, after his alleged role in the scandal came to light.

“Why didn’t you fire Urich? What are you afraid of? What are you hiding?” Golan asks.

Urich is suspected of multiple offenses tied to his alleged work for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm, including contact with a foreign agent and a series of corruption charges involving lobbyists and businessmen.

“Why did you personally approach Qatar in 2018 with a request to fund Hamas in complete contradiction to the position of the defense establishment,” Golan asks of Netanyahu.

“Why did you continue to demand the transfer of the suitcases of dollars to Hamas, even after being warned that this was direct funding for terrorism? Why did you prevent the elimination of Sinwar several times, and is this related to your or your associates’ ties with Qatar?”

According to the Ynet news site, Netanyahu filed the suit against Golan in early April, charging that he sent messages containing “false and ugly content” and “fake news, unbridled incitement, and slander” to supporters in order to solicit donations.

Netanyahu is reportedly demanding financial compensation of NIS 320,000 ($86,400) and an order instructing Golan to “refrain from spreading defamation.”

Golan: Rescue of hostage IDF soldier due to US intervention is Israeli ‘national failure’

The return of hostage Edan Alexander due to American intervention is welcome, says Democrats chair Yair Golan, but it also marks a “diplomatic, political, security and national failure” on the part of the government.

“The Israeli government received the announcement exactly as the public received it – from the media,” says Golan during his party’s weekly faction meeting.

“We congratulate the Alexander family and hope for the immediate return of all the hostages. But with the joy, it is necessary to tell the truth. It is not for nothing that Trump bypassed Netanyahu. Trump understood what millions of Israelis already know: Netanyahu has no intention of returning the abductees or ending the war. The only goal that motivates him is personal survival. Even at the cost of human life.”

“When IDF soldiers are returned from Gaza in an American deal, while neutralizing the Israeli government, it is a diplomatic, political, security and national failure,” he asserts.

“It is mainly an act of neglect for which there is no forgiveness,” says Golan, and asks rhetorically if Israeli hostages who are not US citizens should feel that they are worth less and that they are being “abandoned to die in agony.”

Trump now understands that Netanyahu “is an obstacle to security and the release of the hostages,” he says, asserting that the government’s goal to occupy the Gaza Strip will lead to more deaths and “economic devastation.”

“This war has long since become a political war. This is not a war with security goals. This is a war for political survival. A war for the realization of [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich’s messianic delusions,” Golan continues, calling on IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to “not allow the army to be used to implement political goals.”

Edan Alexander’s grandma: Trump is a ‘messenger from God’ for securing hostage’s release

Varda Ben Baruch (R) and relatives and friends of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander gather to watch the TV broadcast of his release from Hamas captivity in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, May 12, 2025 (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Varda Ben Baruch, whose grandson Edan Alexander is expected to be released by Hamas later today, says that US President Donald Trump is a messenger from God for securing the release of the hostage soldier.

“I am very happy that he will meet the US president,” Ben Baruch says, referring to the fact that Alexander is expected to fly to Doha to meet Trump.

“Trump made all the efforts and he is a good messenger of the Holy One, blessed be He. Thank God that the government cared about him,” she says, according to the Ynet news site.

“Thank God, today we get to welcome him, it’s the day he was born again,” she says. “I thank God, Trump, Witkoff and also Netanyahu.”

“We are waiting for the officer who will come and tell us that he has been handed over,” she says. “We don’t know how he will be. I hope he is safe and well physically and mentally.”

Ben Baruch is a prominent figure in the protests to secure the release of the hostages. She also thanks the family that adopted Alexander when he moved to Israel as a lone soldier: “Thank you so much for everything you did for Edan that I know came from the heart.”

Ben Baruch says she sent Bukhari pastries beloved by her grandson to her daughter Yael so that she can give them to him when he is released.

A photo circulated on social media shows her packing up the food alongside Alexander’s aunt.

ורדה, סבתו של עידן אלכסנדר כבר הכינה לו את האוכל שהוא אוהב, ככה הוא ירגיש ביטחון שהוא בבית, הסבירה.
אחת הנשים הכי חזקות ומלאות עוצמה שפגשתי. הייתה כמעט בכל עצרת, הגיעה לדבר בכל מקום שקיבל אותה, לא עצרה לרגע.
איזו התרגשות שהיא תחבק את עידן סוף סוף בקרוב.
לכל המשפחות מגיע החיוך… pic.twitter.com/fVAB0Cefpl

— Michal Peylan • מיכל פעילן (@michalpeylan) May 12, 2025

Hamas due to transfer Edan Alexander to Red Cross at around 6:30 p.m.

People gather ahead of the expected release of hostage Israeli-US soldier Edan Alexander at Hostages Square Tel Aviv on May 12, 2025 (Menahem Kahana / AFP)

Hostage soldier Edan Alexander is expected to be released by Hamas at around 6:30 p.m., though there may be delays, an Israeli defense official says.

Hamas will hand over Alexander to the Red Cross in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, the official says. No release ceremony is expected to be held by Hamas.

After being handed over to Red Cross representatives, Alexander will be brought to IDF special forces inside the Gaza Strip, and from there taken to a facility at the Re’im base.

At the IDF facility near Re’im, Alexander will receive an initial physical and mental checkup, and meet with members of his family who will be waiting there. He will then be airlifted to Sourasky Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Edan Alexander’s mother being flown from airport to base near Gaza border ahead of his release

An Israeli army helicopter lands in Reim military base near the Israel Gaza border on May 12, 2025 ahead of the expected release of US-Israeli hostage soldier Edan Alexander. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP)

Yael Alexander, the mother of hostage soldier Edan Alexander, and several others have been airlifted by an Israeli Air Force helicopter from Ben Gurion Airport to the Re’im base in southern Israel, a defense official says.

Alexander is set to be released by Hamas this evening, and brought to the IDF facility at Re’im for an initial checkup and to meet with his family.

Israel asks ICC to withdraw arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Israel has asked judges at the International Criminal Court to withdraw arrest warrants it issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, while the ICC reviews Israeli challenges to its jurisdiction over the conduct of the Gaza war.

Documents published on the ICC website late on Sunday also show Israel has asked the court to order the prosecution to suspend its investigation into alleged atrocity crimes in the Palestinian territories.

The documents are dated May 9 and signed by Israeli Deputy Attorney General Gilad Noam.

The ICC issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu and Gallant over alleged war crimes amid the war in Gaza. It also issued a warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif over crimes against humanity during the October 7, 2023, onslaught and beyond, but withdrew it following credible reports of his death.

Israel, which rejects the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza, is contesting the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

In April, the ICC’s appeals chamber ruled that the judges of the pre-trial chamber, which issued the warrants, must review Israel’s objections regarding the court’s jurisdiction and the legality of the arrest warrants.

It is unclear what form the ordered review will take, and there are no specific deadlines set for decisions on Israel’s request that warrants be withdrawn and the investigation halted.

Gantz: Israel must fall in line with US plans for Middle East or risk being left behind

Leader of the National Unity Party MK Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on March 31, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel must get on board with American plans for the Middle East or be left behind, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz declares during his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

Like other opposition politicians, Gantz welcomes the pending release of hostage Edan Alexander following American intervention, but decries the fact that Israel has not taken proactive steps to free the rest of those held by Hamas.

In a direct appeal to Netanyahu, Gantz calls on the prime minister not to “put preserving the coalition above preserving Israel’s security and solidarity in Israeli society.”

“Hamas has its back against the wall, and it is time to bring about a plan that will return all the hostages, ensure the demilitarization of the Strip and bring about the replacement of the Hamas regime,” he declares.

Turning to US policy in the Middle East, Gantz states that “the American administration is determined to promote normalization with Saudi Arabia and other large and significant countries in the region.”

“Either we complete a strategic transformation, strengthen the axis against Iran, destroy its military nuclear capability and become part of a vast comprehensive political move led by the United States in the region, or we will be left behind,” he says. “The opportunity to change the Middle East must not be missed because of political considerations.”

Liberman laments ‘unprecedented low’ in US-Israel relations

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on May 12, 2025 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Israel has “reached an unprecedented low” in its relations with the United States, Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman declares, arguing that Jerusalem is being sidelined when it comes to American policy in the Middle East.

While he welcomes the pending release of hostage Edan Alexander, Liberman emphasizes that “unfortunately, his return is not happening as a result of Israeli pressure or a decision, but as a result of direct contacts between the US and Hamas.”

Addressing reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset, Liberman bemoans “the [US] ceasefire with the Houthis when the State of Israel is left out of the agreement, the US president’s visit to the region when he skips Israel, [and] the direct negotiations between the US and Iran.”

There are other challenges as well “but we cannot elaborate about that,” he adds cryptically.

“The main problem is that Netanyahu does not want to end the war, he does not want to and is unable to eliminate Hamas. One who did not eliminate Hamas in a year and seven months will not do so in 17 years,” Liberman continues, adding that “eliminating Hamas requires broad national consensus and unity among the people.”

“People need to believe in the justice of the path and the war’s goals,” Liberman says, stressing that in order to unite the people and reach a victory against Hamas, “we must return all the hostages in one fell swoop.”

Hostage’s grandmother awaiting his return ‘on his own two feet’

Edan Alexander's grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch (left), speaks to reporters on May 12, 2025 (Channel 12 screenshot)

Edan Alexander’s grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, tells Channel 12 news that all she wants is for her grandson to come home “healthy, in one piece, and on his own two feet.”

“I’m waiting for our family to be whole again,” she says, adding that she hopes every hostage’s family will soon feel the same joy.

In anticipation of her grandson’s return, Ben Baruch says she has already baked his favorite pastries.

Urich released to 10 days’ house arrest, judge expresses doubt he will be indicted

The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court orders that Jonatan Urich, a key suspect in the Qatargate scandal and an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, be released to house arrest for 10 days.

The police had sought three weeks of house arrest.

Judge Menachem Mizrahi indicates he does not believe Urich will be indicted. After Urich’s attorney Amit Hadad says that “the day will come when we see all the investigative material,” referring to a time when Urich is face charges, Mizrahi replies “such a day will not come, it won’t happen.”

The decision to file charges is ultimately in the hands of the State Attorney’s Office.

German president presses Israel on resuming aid to Gaza

BERLIN, Germany — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urges Israel to resume humanitarian aid to Gaza immediately, speaking alongside his Israeli counterpart in Berlin.

At a press conference at the presidential palace, Steinmeier says that Israel must “ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the people of Gaza as quickly as possible… not at some future point, but now.”

Steinmeier, hosting President Isaac Herzog for a visit celebrating 60 years of diplomatic ties between Israel and Germany, stresses Berlin’s long decades of friendship, but adds that “part of friendship is to talk about problems.”

He notes that the aid agency UNRWA, which Israel has accused of being entangled with Hamas, “is not a worthy partner, so we have to find alternatives” for the distribution of aid.

Herzog calls on the international community to take part in a new aid mechanism to “enable the distribution of aid directly to the people of Gaza,” appealing to “the international community, international NGOs and the UN to study the plan in depth and join us.”

Asked if Germany will host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court, Steinmeier says it is a question for new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but he hints that it may not be wise for the premier to visit.

“I hope both sides will be wise enough to not have to make the decision whether to act on an international arrest warrant against the prime minster of Israel,” says Steinmeier.

The German president also notes a “window of opportunity” for Israel to forge additional regional partnerships, noting his own recent trips to “Cairo, Amman, Qatar and especially Riyadh.” Steinmeier says there is “an openness that I haven’t seen before” toward a larger regional deal, referencing the potential of Saudi-Israeli normalization.

Speaking alongside Steinmeier, Herzog says that “there is nothing I want more than to shake the hands of Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, as a rapprochement of Jew and Muslim in the region.”

Israeli official: ‘Dramatic window’ open for Witkoff deal with Trump in region

An Israeli official tells Channel 12 news that the arrival of US President Donald Trump in the Middle East and the impending release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander create a “dramatic window of opportunity” to advance a hostage deal, based on a framework led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and backed by Egypt.

The unnamed official says Israel is ready to send a negotiating team “if and when we determine that conditions are ripe,” adding that “we hope Hamas seizes what may be its last chance to reach an agreement.”

Conflicting reports indicate that Israel may send a team to Cairo as early as today.

Yesterday, Walla reported that Witkoff has been engaged in talks with Hamas, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel aimed at securing a hostage release and broader regional calm.

Yael Alexander, mother of Edan: We cannot rest until 58 hostages left behind come home

Yael Alexander (center), mother of hostage Edan, and US hostage envoy Adam Boehler (left) board a helicopter en route to southern Israel, ahead of Edan's expected release from Hamas captivity, May 12, 2025 (Channel 12 screenshot)

Yael Alexander, the mother of hostage Edan Alexander, says the rest of the hostages cannot be forgotten as her son is freed.

“This isn’t over. We have more hostages in Gaza. The moment that Edan comes out, there will still be 58 there,” she says upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport from the US.

“We cannot rest and we cannot forget, everyone needs to come home.”

She adds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the strength to make a deal. “Now is the time,” she says.

Yael Alexander, mother of hostage Edan, arrives at Ben Gurion Airport on an El Al plane from the US, before helicoptering toward the Gaza border for the release of her son Edan from Hamas captivity, May 12, 2025 (Channel 12 screenshot)

Yael then boards an IDF helicopter which is taking her to a military base at Re’im on the Gaza border, where the IDF is set to bring Edan, a dual US-Israeli citizen, once he is handed over by Hamas, via the Red Cross.

Mother of Edan Alexander arrives in Israel, heads to Gaza border for his release, as US envoy vows to free all hostages

Yael Alexander (center of the picture at left), mother of hostage Edan, listens as US hostage envoy Adam Boehler speaks on a plane to Israel, May 12, 2025 (X screenshot, used in accordance with clause 27a of the copyright law)

Yael Alexander, the mother of captive soldier Edan Alexander, has arrived in Israel, along with US hostage envoy Adam Boehler.

The two are set to fly by helicopter to a military base at Re’im on the Gaza border, where the IDF is set to bring Edan Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen, once he is handed over by Hamas, via the Red Cross.

Boehler says from the plane that Alexander’s release is just “the start” and that he will not rest until all hostages are returned home.

“This is the start. We are going after every single hostage that there exists in all of Israel. We’re coming for them all,” Boehler says in video footage shared from the overnight flight.

Adam Boehler, Trump’s envoy for the release of US hostages on a flight to Israel: "We will not rest until we return the last kidnapped person, the bond between Israel and the United States is stronger than ever."
(Video : Dotan Stanitzky) pic.twitter.com/UhatfVdi8K

— Theresa Hiede Tranah (@watchwomanj35u5) May 12, 2025

“[US] President [Donald] Trump, when he told me to go get back every hostage, every Israeli, he wasn’t kidding,” Boehler continues. “The bond between Israel and the United States has never been stronger.”

“The president cares very much about all of you, so I am here, I am getting the hostages back but I am not going to rest until they are all home,” he says.

Boehler tweeted early Monday morning that he was honored to travel to Israel with Alexander for the “reunion of her son from Hamas.”

Boehler’s wife Shira Boehler and Boehler’s chief of staff Raechel Greenberg are also with them.

Edan’s father Adi Alexander and their two other children, Mika and Roy, are traveling separately and expected to arrive this evening.

Lapid: Pro-Israel Trump is ‘fed up’ with Netanyahu, ‘wants results,’ cut hostage deal only for US citizen

Opposition leader and Yesh Atid party head MK Yair Lapid speaks at a faction meeting in the Knesset on May 12, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

US President Donald Trump is “fed up” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is no longer coordinating with him on actions that directly impact Israel’s interests, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid charges.

Monday’s imminent expected release of hostage Edan Alexander is gratifying but also “heartbreaking” since he is being released because he is an American citizen as well as an Israel one, in negotiations conducted by the American administration, Lapid tells reporters during his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

This represents “a diplomatic failure with consequences that endanger the security and well-being of the entire State of Israel,” Lapid declares.

“This alliance is the greatest strategic asset that the State of Israel has,” but while the Trump administration praises the Netanyahu government publicly, the “Americans are fed up with Netanyahu,” Lapid asserts.

“The Trump administration is operating today without coordination and without listening to Netanyahu. They have reached a ceasefire with the Houthis in Yemen behind his back, are conducting dangerous negotiations with the Iranians, are promoting a Saudi nuclear program, and are making a hostage deal only for their own citizens,” he says. “There has never been anything like this.”

Adds Lapid: “Trump is a pro-Israel president. He loves Israel, but he hates dragging his feet, and postponements and delays, and hesitation, and lies. He is not interested in Netanyahu’s problems with [far-right coalition party leaders Bezalel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben Gvir. He wants results. He wants a ceasefire in Gaza, he wants a big hostage deal, he wants regional agreements that will help the American economy. Netanyahu does not know how to give him that. Not with this government.”

Israel said set to send team to Cairo after release of Alexander in bid for wider hostage deal

Israel is set to send a team to Cairo to restart talks aimed at reaching a deal with Hamas after the terror group releases American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Citing Arab officials, the US broadsheet reports that talks will aim at a ceasefire that would include the release of additional hostages and the resumed entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where assistance has been blocked since early March.

However, an Israeli source quoted by the Maariv daily says Israel has yet to decide on whether to send a delegation to Egypt for the talks.

The US has portrayed Alexander’s release as a first step toward a wider deal that would free all hostages and end the war. Israel says it is planning a major offensive in Gaza that would see it take control of the entire territory unless a deal is reached.

Soldier lightly injured in Gaza City firefight, IDF says

An IDF reservist was lightly injured during an exchange of fire with Palestinian fighters in the northern Gaza Strip today, the military says.

The incident took place in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood. It came amid reports that the IDF is limiting its activity in the Strip ahead of the release of hostage soldier Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity.

The IDF says the injured soldier was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Fearing US wrath, Hamas to limit media access to Alexander handover

Following Hamas’s announcement that it will release hostage Edan Alexander, Saudi news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat reports that only the terror group’s media wing will be allowed to document the handover, in an effort to “avoid any incident that could provoke the American administration.”

A similar protocol was followed during the release of former hostage Hisham al-Sayed in February, which took place under a temporary ceasefire.

Both Israel and the US had complained about other Hamas handover ceremonies, which featured gauche displays in which hostages were paraded through jeering crowds of Gazans, forced to confess love for their captors and mockingly informed of the murders of their loved ones.

Cops collar goat smugglers trying to ram sacrifice onto Temple Mount

Police say they arrested nine Jewish men who tried to smuggle a sacrificial goat onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem earlier today.

The group of young men are filmed heading to one of the entrances to the Temple Mount compound with a baby goat concealed in a Rami Levy shopping bag. Scuffles with police guarding the entrance break out as the group tries to force its way into the compound.

One of the young men chants the Shema prayer as police scramble to block their entry. They are also seen brawling with a religious Muslim man at the gate.

The caper coincides with the Jewish holiday of Pesach Sheni, or Second Passover, which falls a month after Passover. In ancient times, the holiday provided another chance for those who had not been able to bring the Passover sacrifice to the Jerusalem Temple to fulfill the commandment.

דרמה בהר הבית: 9 תושבי אזור ירושלים נעצרו בחשד לתקיפת שוטרים – אחד מהם ניסה להבריח גדי למתחם בתוך שקית@VeredPelman
צילום: אברהם שאול פואה pic.twitter.com/ZAe9i0ThrP

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 12, 2025

Past years have seen similar attempts to smuggle in goats for sacrifice on the Temple Mount during the religious festival.

Police say the nine suspects, residents of Jerusalem and the West Bank, were detained for questioning, while the goat was transferred for veterinary treatment.

Haredi MKs reportedly keeping conscription ultimatum hanging over coalition

The Knesset’s ultra-Orthodox parties have informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they will continue sitting out votes on coalition legislation, the Ynet news site reports.

Both Shas and United Torah Judaism said last week they would boycott votes on coalition legislation during last Wednesday’s Knesset session in protest of the government’s failure to pass a draft exemption law for their community. After their announcement, coalition bills were removed from the agenda.

Last week, UTJ lawmaker Yaakov Asher warned in an interview with the Haredi news site Kikar HaShabbat that if the Knesset did not pass draft exemption legislation by the end of the summer session on July 27, his party would no longer be able to remain in the government.

According to Ynet, Haredi lawmakers have been approaching Likud backbenchers to make the case that early elections could endanger their place in the Knesset.

Man found dead on Netanya beach

A man in his 40s has been found lifeless on a Netanya beach, the Magen David Adom emergency service says.

First responders found the man lying near the water on Argaman Beach.

An MDA spokeswoman says the cause of death is not yet known, but notes that he was found without any external wounds or signs of violence on his body.

‘Great news!’ Trump hails pending release of hostage Alexander

US President Donald Trump calls the expected release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander by Hamas later today “Great news!” He claims Alexander, who has appeared in Hamas propaganda videos, had previously been thought dead.

“Edan Alexander, American hostage thought dead, to be released by Hamas,” the president writes on his Truth Social account, after Hamas announced that it will release Alexander, the last living American hostage among the 59 held by the terror group, at an unspecified time today.

Trump:

EDAN ALEXANDER, AMERICAN HOSTAGE THOUGHT DEAD, TO BE RELEASED BY HAMAS. GREAT NEWS! pic.twitter.com/Rv7XgsxS14

— First Source Report (@FirstSourceNew) May 12, 2025

Coalition forced to ask ultra-Orthodox to back mass call-up in key Knesset meeting

Members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee are reportedly unable to approve the government’s emergency call-up of tens of thousands of additional reservists ahead of its expected offensive in Gaza, after the coalition failed to muster enough support.

The lack of backing has forced the coalition to call for ultra-Orthodox members of the committee to enlist in the effort to approve the call-up, the Ynet news site reports.

A source with direct knowledge of the proceedings in the closed door meeting confirms the report to The Times of Israel.

Failure to approve the call-up in the committee could jeopardize the mass mobilization needed for further action in Gaza sought by the government, the source says.

Haredi parties have boycotted coalition legislation as they seek to pressure the government into approving military draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox community.

Pleading for deal, hostages’ relatives turn to Trump ahead of Israeli-American’s release

Dani Miran and other families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza hold a press conference at Hostages' Square in Tel Aviv, May 12, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

As Israel readies for the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity, hostages’ families publicly blast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the crisis, urge an immediate deal to free all remaining hostages, and voice praise for US President Donald Trump.

Speaking to the press in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, who is believed to be alive in Hamas captivity, addresses her son: “We are doing everything for your return, even though Netanyahu has abandoned you.”

Speaking to Trump in English, she adds, “All of the Israeli people are behind you. End this war. Bring them all home.”

Ayelet Samerano, mother of Jonathan Samerano, whose body was seized and taken to the Gaza Strip by an UNRWA employee after Hamas terrorists killed him on October 7, 2023, addresses decision makers: “We are the picture of all Israeli citizens. The overwhelming majority wants the hostages home.”

Ayelet Samerano speaks in Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, May 12, 2025 (Paulina Patimer / Hostages Families Forum)

Dani Miran, father of Omri Miran, emphasizes the importance of compromise in reaching a hostage deal: “In 16 days, we will mark 600 days that our loved ones have been in Hamas captivity. I’m happy about Edan Alexander’s release, but I ask — what about our passport? What about our citizenship in this country? Doesn’t the government know how to protect its citizens? There are no deals without compromises. Hamas has already made the first compromise — make your compromises and reach a deal.”

Other family members express frustration that foreign governments seem to be doing more to free the hostages than Israel itself. Michael Illouz, whose son Guy was killed in Hamas captivity, remarks bitterly, “I regret not having a foreign passport.”

Fighting ongoing in Strip, but IDF limiting some activity for Alexander’s release — reports

IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip, in a handout photo published on May 11, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

A security source tells Channel 12 news that troops have not been instructed to hold their fire in the Gaza Strip, amid conflicting reports about a temporary ceasefire aimed at facilitating the release of hostage Edan Alexander.

“Adjustments have been made for the release, but the army continues with normal operations,” the source says, according to the network.

The Kan broadcaster also says that there is no ceasefire in Gaza, but military activity across the Strip is being limited to avoid harming the release process of Alexander today.

IDF troops and Gazan fighters exchanged fire in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City a short while ago, Kan notes.

Alexander release to trigger ‘immediate peace talks,’ source tells CNN

The release of Edan Alexander will immediately lead into talks for a wider arrangement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, CNN quotes a source familiar with the indirect talks between the US and Hamas saying.

“We’re going to go into immediate peace deal negotiations,” the source says.

US officials, including President Donald Trump, have portrayed the release of Alexander as a first step toward ending the war and releasing all hostages.

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, a former head of the Shin Bet seen as close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said earlier in the day that Israel would resist US pressure to end the war in Gaza without meeting its aims.

“We’re not the 51st star on the [US] flag,” Dichter told the Kan public broadcaster. “The war’s goals haven’t changed.”

Dual citizenship no factor in Israel’s effort to return hostages, Herzog says in Germany

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, right, and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog deliver a joint press conference after talks at the Presidential Bellevue Palace, on May 12, 2025 in Berlin. (John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

BERLIN, Germany — Speaking alongside his German counterpart in Berlin, President Isaac Herzog welcomes the expected release of hostage soldier Edan Alexander, as well as the return yesterday of the body of Zvi Feldman, an IDF soldier killed in the First Lebanon War 43 years ago.

The return of them both “are emotional moments that fill us with hope. It is a reminder that the people of Israel do not give up and fight to return every son and daughter.”

Herzog says that it “does not matter if they have one passport or two, and it does not matter if they are dead or alive,” Israel will work to bring them home, referencing Hamas’s agreement to free Alexander, a dual US-Israeli citizen, through negotiations with Washington that bypassed Israel.

“We will continue working to bring every hostage home, all of them urgently. They are all our sons and daughters,” adds Herzog, noting that he is eager to see Alexander return home to Israel imminently.

Prison guard given 10 months behind bars for beating detainee

The Tel Aviv District Court has sentenced a former prison guard to 10 months in prison for beating a 17-year-old detainee after he asked to speak to his lawyer.

Assaf Levy, a former guard and medic in the Prison Service’s Nachshon unit, assaulted the detainee while his hands and legs were cuffed and then filed a false medical report about the incident.

The incident occurred three years ago in the holding cells of the Bat Yam Juvenile Magistrate’s Court. The 17-year-old asked to speak to his attorney and, when Levy refused, banged against the cell door and spat at guards.

The convicted guard then forcefully slapped him in the face and kicked him into the cell wall, causing him to fall to the floor. Other guards apparently attempted to restrain Levy from beating him further.

Levy later filed a false report about the minor’s injuries, omitting all details of the assault and claiming he had instead slipped on spilled water.

The former guard pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting a minor or helpless individual, fraud and breach of trust.

He was originally sentenced to nine months of community service by a lower court, but the decision is successfully appealed by prosecutors, who requested he serve 18 to 30 months’ jail time.

The District Court decides on 10 months in prison, noting that it does not usually impose a maximum punishment on defendants in state appeals. Still, the court calls the case “exceptionally severe.”

“In addition to the brutal violence, this matter involves a breach of basic values by a veteran prison guard, who betrayed his role as someone who is in charge of the detainee’s well-being. Additionally, he betrayed his role as a medic who is supposed to care for the detainee’s health,” judges write in their decision.

Police seeking 21-day house arrest for Netanyahu aide Urich and second Qatargate suspect

Aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatargate suspect Jonatan Urich arrives for a Supreme Court hearing on his appeal against his remand in custody, in Jerusalem, May 9, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Police are requesting of the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court that Jonatan Urich, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a key suspect in the so-called Qatargate affair, be released from detention and instead be held under house arrest for three weeks.

The police are also requesting the same period of house arrest for a former Mossad official who is also a suspect in the case but whose name is under gag order.

Urich was rearrested last week after police sought to question him regarding what they said was new evidence surrounding his role in the alleged scandal, which is tied to work he performed on behalf of Doha while advising Netanyahu, but the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court ordered him released, saying there was no reason for his ongoing detention.

The Lod District Court upheld an appeal by the police to keep him in custody, saying that the new evidence heightened suspicions against him, and the Supreme Court upheld that decision after Urich appealed.

The Supreme Court told the police, however, that further requests for Urich to remain in custody should focus on obstruction of justice concerns rather than claims about the supposed danger he poses to state security.

Urich is suspected of multiple offenses tied to his alleged work for a pro-Qatar lobbying firm, including contact with a foreign agent and breach of trust, due to what prosecutors believe was his work to polish Qatar’s image as hostage negotiation mediators while also working as an adviser to Netanyahu.

IDF confirms freed hostage to meet family at Re’im base after handover via Red Cross

File: Edan Alexander (second right) with his family (from left to right): sister Mika, brother Roy, mother Yael and father Adi. (Courtesy)

The IDF says it is preparing for the release of hostage soldier Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip today.

After being handed over to Red Cross representatives by Hamas, Alexander will be brought to IDF special forces inside the Gaza Strip, and from there taken to a facility at the Re’im base.

At the IDF facility near Re’im, Alexander will receive an initial physical and mental checkup, and meet with members of his family who will be waiting there. He will then be airlifted to Sourasky Hospital in Tel Aviv.

In the event of a medical emergency, Alexander will be immediately taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba or Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, without passing through the Re’im site.

There is no word on where or when the handover will take place.

Edan Alexander will be first male soldier freed since October 7

Edan Alexander was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 (Courtesy)

When he emerges from captivity in the coming hours, Edan Alexander will become the first male hostage soldier abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, to be returned to Israel by the terror group.

Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade at the time of his abduction. He was kidnapped from his base near the Gaza border community of Nirim, known as the White House post, during the October 7 onslaught.

On October 7, Hamas took 19 male soldiers hostage — not all of them on duty — and seven female surveillance soldiers, the latter of whom have all since been returned to Israel. Five were released in a deal with Hamas, one was rescued, and the body of one was recovered by troops.

Currently, Hamas is holding 14 male Israeli soldiers, eight of whom have been declared dead, among them the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed in 2014.

Military activity in Gaza reportedly ongoing for now, expected to halt soon

A Hamas-linked news outlet in Gaza says Israeli military activity in the Strip is ongoing, after a Hamas source said the terror group had received word that Israel was starting to pause airstrikes and other actions to allow for the release of hostage Edan Alexander sometime today.

The Shehab outlet reports artillery shelling near Gaza City, and small arms fire north of Rafah in the southern Strip. Shelling is also reported by other outlets.

Army Radio reports that a military source confirmed a Saudi report that military activity would halt shortly. The IDF is not expected to officially announce it is pausing hostilities, Kan radio reported earlier.

Witkoff reportedly lands in Israel

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has landed at Ben Gurion airport, according to Hebrew-language media reports, after jetting to Israel for the planned release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander.

A Bombardier Global 7500 business jet, the same model Witkoff has flown on other diplomatic missions, is seen parked at the airport.

A plane carrying Alexander’s mother Yael is expected to land in Israel just before 3 p.m., while other members of his families are slated to arrive on a commercial El Al flight Monday evening, according to reports.

Hamas says IDF halting military activity in Gaza to allow release of hostage

A Hamas source tells AFP that mediators informed it that Israel would pause military operations in Gaza for the handover of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.

“Hamas was informed that at exactly 9:30 a.m., Israel began halting its reconnaissance, drone, and warplane flights, as well as combat operations, to create a safe corridor for the transfer and handover of Edan,” the source says.

A Hamas source tells Saudi news outlet a-Sharq al-Awsat that the halt has already begun.

However, Israel will not officially announce that it is halting activity, an unnamed Israeli official tells the Kan public broadcaster.

The IDF says only that it is establishing a “safe corridor” to enable Alexander’s release, the report says.

Hamas will hand over Alexander to Red Cross representatives, who will then bring him to Israeli forces inside Gaza. From there, he will be brought out of the Strip, similar to previous hostage releases.

Houthi missile, likely aimed at Israel, falls short

A ballistic missile launched from Yemen a short while ago, apparently aimed at Israel, fell short in Saudi Arabia or off its coast, according to an Israeli defense source.

The military identified the launch, but no sirens sounded in Israel because the missile did not pose a threat.

Since March 18, when the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 30 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel.

Many of the missiles have fallen short.

Jordan refuses to bury freed prisoner who died of cancer, Islamic Jihad says

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group says Jordan has refused to receive the body of Moatassem Radad, a Palestinian prisoner of Jordanian origin who was released in a hostage deal earlier this year and died of cancer in an Egyptian hospital last week.

The group said it had intended to transfer the body to Jordan so he could be buried alongside his family. According to their statement, Jordanian authorities returned the body to Egypt after it had already been flown to the airport in Amman, Jordan’s capital.

Jordan has in the past refused to accept prisoners released by Israel in exchange for hostages held in Gaza who were deported to Egypt, even those holding Jordanian citizenship.

Radad was a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and was sentenced in Israel to 20 years in prison for security offenses, though the specific charges were not published in Israel. He was originally from the village of Sida in the western West Bank, though part of his family is originally from Jordan. He was hospitalized in Egypt.

Hostages’ relatives urge public to rally in Tel Aviv as Alexander freed

The Hostage Families Forum is asking supporters to pack Hostages Square in Tel Aviv ahead of the expected release of Edan Alexander.

“Together, we will follow all developments and call out in unity: We must not leave anyone behind! Edan’s return must be the beginning of a comprehensive agreement that brings home all the hostages,” the group says in a statement.

Though no time is yet publicly set for the release, the group asks people to show up at noon. A report in a Saudi newspaper claimed the release would take place at that time, but a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel it will likely be later.

Court lets drowsy Netanyahu out early after near-sleepless night over hostage release

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at court in Tel Aviv on May 12, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will end today’s testifying in his criminal trial after just two hours on the stand, the court allows, after the expected release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander by Hamas later today caused the premier to lose sleep.

Netanyahu’s attorney Amit Hadad tells the court that the prime minister slept only an hour and half during the night due to the developments regarding Alexander’s release. He notes that US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is on his way to Israel.

Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman asks Netanyahu what his level of alertness is, to which he responds “not high,” Channel 12 News reports, prompting Friedman-Feldman to have the hearing end at 11:30.

Herzog meets German counterpart in Berlin to mark 60 years of ties

BERLIN — President Isaac Herzog is welcomed by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the Bellevue Schloss presidential palace in Berlin for a state visit marking 60 years of diplomatic ties between Israel and Germany.

Following their meeting, Herzog and Steinmeier will deliver joint statements to the press.

Herzog greeted by Steinmeier in Berlin with the playing of Hatikvah, the pair will hold a joint press conference after their meeting. pic.twitter.com/fvaEWjravM

— Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) May 12, 2025

Later today, Herzog will meet with newly sworn-in Chancellor Friedrich Merz and also visit the Platform 17 memorial site at the Berlin-Grunewald train station, from where most of Berlin’s Jews were deported during the Holocaust.

Steinmeier is slated to return to Israel with Herzog tomorrow morning and the pair will together visit Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre. Herzog will also present Steinmeier with the presidential Medal of Honor at a ceremony in Jerusalem this week.

Hamas confirms Alexander to be freed today, no time given

The spokesman of Hamas’s military wing announces that it will release Edan Alexander today.

The spokesman, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Obeida, does not specify a time.

US reportedly mulling spiriting Alexander to Qatar for Trump meet

Varda Ben Baruch, grandmother of Edan Alexander, holds a picture of her grandson near the border with the Gaza Strip on April 20, 2025. (Lior Rotstein/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

The Ynet news site reports that American officials are looking into the possibility of whisking Edan Alexander and his family to Qatar to meet US President Donald Trump, who is visiting the region this week.

According to the report, which does not cite a source, Alexander would fly there with US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, though any plans would be dependent on the freed hostage’s health.

Alexander, a dual Israeli-US citizen, is set to be freed from Gazan captivity sometime today.

His family, coming from New Jersey, is expected to land in Israel at 2 p.m., Channel 12 news reports.

Edan Alexander to be freed today or tomorrow, without fanfare — Hamas

Edan Alexander (left) with his family (from left to right): mother Yael, brother Roy, sister Mika and father Adi. (Courtesy of Alexander family)

US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, held in Gaza since October 2023, will “most likely” be released on Monday or Tuesday, a source close to Hamas tells AFP.

No ceremony will be held for the handover, the source says, marking a departure from morbid and widely criticized displays put on by the terror group during previous releases.

“Most likely, Edan will be released today or tomorrow, Tuesday, but this requires securing field conditions,” the source says, adding that Hamas had demanded that American envoys ensure a “halt to all Israeli military operations… to create a safe corridor” for his transfer to the Red Cross.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier that the IDF would secure a corridor for his release.

Unconfirmed reports in Hebrew-language media claim the Israel Defense Forces is planning to halt hostilities starting Monday afternoon to facilitate the release.

The Kan public broadcaster reports that US officials will be on hand for the handover, citing an unnamed Israeli source.

Kurdish PKK says it is laying down arms in struggle against Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers Party militant group has decided to dissolve itself and end its armed struggle against Turkey, the Firat news agency, which is close to the group, says.

The group, known as the PKK, has been in conflict with Ankara for more than four decades.

The PKK says it believes Kurdish political movements will take up its separatist cause, calling for a reset of ties with Turkey.

Hostage families: Alexander release puts Netanyahu’s feet to fire on freeing the rest

The Hostage Families Forum says the looming release of Israeli-American Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity, under an arrangement reached between Hamas and Washington, will test whether Israel’s leadership is similarly committed to its citizens.

“The expected release of Edan shows that a determined leader is committed to his citizens,” the forum says in a statement, without naming US President Donald Trump.

The group calls on Prime Minister Benjamin  Netanyahu to take advantage of the opening created by the release, which is expected to take place over the next day, to reach a breakthrough in talks for the remaining hostages.

“Prime minister, what of your commitment to the 58 remaining hostages,” the forum challenges him. “Will you choose to make history, to return all of them and allow Israeli society to recover? Or will you continue playing for time and dodging responsibility at the cost of  shredding Israeli society, seriously harming the hostages and preventing the possibility of returning the remains [of those killed]?”

Military reportedly readying to receive Alexander later today

People wave Israeli flags on a road near Kibbutz Re'im, southern Israel, Feb. 20, 2025, ahead of the return by Hamas of the bodies of four Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli military officials are beginning preparations to receive hostage Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity sometime today, an unnamed defense source says in a statement carried by several Hebrew-language news outlets.

The preparations include readying a building at the Israel Defense Force’s Re’im base where Alexander will first be received, Channel 12 news reports.

The base has been used in the past as a private space for freed hostages to be checked out and sometimes reunited with their families before the longer journey to an Israeli hospital, where they generally stayed for several days or longer as they began their recoveries.

US deal leaves injured hostages behind in Hamas tunnels, family says

Relatives, friends and supporters of Alon Ohel (22) held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel, take part in a protest to ask for the release of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv on November 22, 2023. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

The family of hostage Alon Ohel criticizes US moves securing the planned release of Edan Alexander while leaving the rest of the hostages behind, noting that their son is continuing to suffer in captivity.

“The deal leaves Alon behind while he is injured and in pain,” the family says in a statement carried by the Ynet news site. “We are in a nightmare and frightened.”

The comments reflect a sense of unease among some hostage families that the arrangement securing Alexander’s release, which the US says is part of an effort to end the war and free all hostages, differentiates between those in Gaza based on what passports they hold. Ohel’s mother Idit has been particularly vocal against what she terms as a selektziya between hostages during previous rounds of releases.

According to the family, relying on information from freed hostages, Ohel has been kept bound in chains and received no medical attention for shrapnel in his eye and shoulder from wounds suffered on October 7, 2023.

The statement offers well-wishes to the family of Alexander on their son’s impending freedom and urges Israel’s government to reach a deal securing the release of the rest of the hostages.

“Alon and the rest of the injured hostages are being left behind in the tunnels with no medical attention or help,” the family says. “There is no date for the end of our nightmare.”

Alexander release likely to occur during latter half of Monday — source

A source familiar with efforts to secure the release of hostage Edan Alexander tells The Times of Israel that the hostage will likely be freed from Gazan captivity sometime Monday afternoon or evening.

The source speaks on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the efforts.

Israel’s Channel 12 news reports that the release will occur at noon, relying on Saudi paper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, which quotes a Hamas source for the timing of the exchange.

PM’s Office: Israel has committed to safe corridor for Alexander’s release, but not to truce

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel has committed to facilitating a safe corridor for hostage Edan Alexander to be released from Gaza back to Israel.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office says Jerusalem has made no further promise for a ceasefire or for the release of Palestinian security prisoners.

“The expected release of IDF soldier Edan Alexander [by Hamas] without getting anything in return, will be possible thanks to the determined policy we led, with the backing of [US] President [Donald] Trump, and thanks to IDF troops’ military pressure in the Gaza Strip,” the PMO says.

“We are in critical days in which Hamas is facing a deal that would enable our hostages’ release,” it adds. “Negotiations will continue under fire and amidst preparations for the intensification of the fighting.”

Report: Saudis will try to get Trump to back deal for Palestinian state, end to war, regional normalization

US President Donald Trump and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince, left, and Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, who later that year became Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, shaking hands in the State Dining Room before lunch at the White House in Washington, DC, March 14, 2017. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP)

During US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia later this week, Riyadh will try to get him onboard a regional package deal that includes forming a demilitarized Palestinian state, ending the war in Gaza while dismantling Hamas, and normalization of ties between Israel and Arab countries, according to the Kan public broadcaster.

The outlet cites an unnamed official in the Saudi royal family as saying there is much optimism in Riyadh that Trump will be persuaded to support such a deal.

The official is cited as saying some details can yet be changed, but a Palestinian state and stopping the war are non-negotiable components.

Israel mustn’t miss the opportunity, the Saudi official contends.

Israeli soccer coach calls on league to not resume next season unless all hostages return

Hapoel Jerusalem soccer coach Ziv Aryeh gives an interview, May 10, 2025 (Screenshot; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Hapoel Jerusalem soccer coach Ziv Aryeh, after his team secured its position in the Israeli Premier League with a 4-2 win over Hapoel Hadera on Saturday, only wanted to speak about the remaining 59 hostages in a post-game interview.

“In my opinion, the league shouldn’t resume next season if the hostages haven’t returned,” says Aryeh, his eyes facing downward. “As far as I’m concerned, the country should be turned upside down until they come back. I’m not the prime minister — only the citizens can do something, because there’s no one else who will.”

Aryeh said there was no point in analyzing his team’s season.

“We dreamed of welcoming Hersh Goldberg-Polin at Teddy Stadium,” he said, referring to a Gaza hostage and avid Hapoel fan who was murdered in captivity last year.

Aryeh mentioned a game in late August 2024, when he showed his players a speech made by Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin in which they mentioned the Hapoel team.

“We decided to show it to the players, Jon spoke in Hebrew and English and Rachel in English and I wasn’t sure the foreign players would understand everything,” said Aryeh.

After they showed the speech, his assistant coach later told him about the rumors that Hersh was one of six hostages killed by their Hamas captors.

“To my sorrow, that rumor was true,” said Aryeh.

It was moments like these that have made up the team’s season, said Aryeh.

He has tried to create a normal routine, said Aryeh, but it’s an impossible task when there are hostages still in Gaza.

“The only good moments were when hostages were released,” he said.

“Everything must stop to get those people out,” he added. “This can’t go on. I strongly believe in karma. We can’t continue like this — I already said the league should have been stopped. Someone should say what needs to be done, and we’ll do it. Everything must stop to get them out; nothing else matters. Someone who makes decisions should listen — this country isn’t going anywhere until the hostages, both living and dead, are returned.”

Israeli official: Hostage’s release secured thanks to military pressure on Hamas

An Israeli official claims in an anonymous statement to reporters that hostage Edan Alexander’s imminent released was secured thanks to Israel’s military pressure on Hamas.

“Hamas understood it must make a gesture to the Americans because this is the only way for it to try to prevent the expansion of the war,” the official says.

Appearing to respond to criticism from hostage families and the opposition that Alexander was being freed solely due to his American nationality, the official adds: “Thanks to the military pressure, Hamas agreed thus far to release most of our hostages, regardless of foreign passports. We will continue to do everything to return all of our hostages.”

The official says Israel will facilitate a safe corridor to get Alexander out of Gaza — presumably meaning halting fighting and reconnaissance flights in certain areas — but stresses that there is no ceasefire and that Hamas isn’t getting anything in return for the release. If Hamas agrees to an Israel-accepted proposal for a wider hostage deal, the expansion of the war will be postponed, the official adds.

Edan Alexander to be released on Monday, senior US official says

Edan Alexander was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. (Courtesy)

American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander will be released on Monday, a senior US official tells The Times of Israel.

Alexander’s parents are traveling to Israel from the US with the Trump administration’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler in order to arrive in time for their son’s release.

Trump welcomes deal to free US-Israeli hostage, says it’s part of push to return everyone, end the war

Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump poses for photos with the family of Edan Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on October 7, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images via AFP)

US President Donald Trump posts a statement confirming the imminent release of American-Israeli Gaza hostage Edan Alexander, thanking all those involved and adding that it’s part of a wider effort to return all the captives and end the 19-month war.

“I am happy to announce that Edan Alexander, an American citizen who has been held hostage since October 2023, is coming home to his family,” Trump says on Truth Social.

MONUMENTAL NEWS: "I am happy to announce that Edan Alexander, an American citizen who has been held hostage since October 2023, is coming home to his family." –President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/zTFBzD5rBN

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 11, 2025

“I am grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen. This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones. Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!”

US hostage envoy Boehler heading to Israel alongside parents of Edan Alexander

(From R-L) US hostage envoy Adam Boehler, Yael Alexander, Shira Boehler and Boehler's chief of staff Rachael Greenberg on a plane from the US to Israel on May 11, 2025. (Courtesy)

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy on hostages Adam Boehler is traveling from the United States to Israel with the parents of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander ahead of the latter’s expected release from Hamas captivity, a US official tells The Times of Israel.

Earlier, Boehler said news of Alexander’s release was a positive step forward, adding: “We would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken.”

Family of Edan Alexander was ‘completely surprised’ to learn of his impending release

Yael Alexander, left, and Adi Alexander, parents of Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli being held hostage by Hamas, listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Adi Alexander, the father of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, says the US-based family was completely surprised to hear about his imminent release by Hamas after over 580 days in captivity in Gaza.

“The entire family is now on the way to Israel,” Adi is quoted as saying by the Ynet news site. “We were completely surprised to receive the call from [Steve] Witkoff. We knew about the negotiations but not about such a dramatic development.

“It’s very symbolic and moving to get this news exactly on Mother’s Day.”

World’s largest wealth fund divests from Israel’s Paz Retail and Energy due to West Bank activities

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, says it has sold all of its shares in Israel’s Paz Retail and Energy because it owns and operates infrastructure for the supply of fuel to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The divestment is the second after the fund’s ethics watchdog, the Council on Ethics, adopted in August a tougher interpretation of ethics standards for businesses that aid Israel’s operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

The first divestment was from Israeli telecoms firm Bezeq, in September.

The fund, which owns 1.5% of listed shares across 9,000 companies globally, operates under guidelines set by Norway’s parliament and is seen as a leader in the environmental, social and governance field.