From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 12, 2025
US envoy: We hope Alexander’s release marks ‘the beginning of the end to this terrible war’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
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.
The Times of Israel Community.