Israel ready for handover of US-Israeli hostage

Credit: dpa/NAN

Israel is preparing for the release of the U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, held by the Palestinian Hamas militant group in Gaza, around midday (0900 GMT.

This is according to the media reports on Monday.

The Israeli news portal ynet cited an Israeli official as saying that preparations for his reception on Israeli territory had been completed.

The Israeli army would facilitate a safe passage from the embattled Gaza Strip to Israel.

They are in contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which will receive the young man from Hamas, as in previous hostage handovers.

The Red Cross vehicles would travel from the handover point in Gaza and take him from there to meet representatives of the Israeli army.

Alexander would then be taken to the Reim military base on the edge of the Gaza Strip to meet his family and likely from there to hospital.

Hamas said previously that it had been in contact with U.S. officials about the release of Alexander, an Israeli soldier abducted along with around 250 others during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.