Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 12, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 12, 2025
At White House press briefing, Trump hails imminent release of hostage Edan Alexander
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
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.
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
The Times of Israel Community.
JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY
Already a member? Log in here