Hamas raises fears for Israeli-American hostage at centre of latest Gaza truce offer

CAIRO – Hamas said on April 15 that after an Israeli strike, it had “lost contact” with the captors of an Israeli-American hostage in Gaza, whose release reportedly takes centre stage in Israel’s latest proposal for a renewed ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza on April 15, his office announced, as the military

kept up the offensive

it resumed on March 18, effectively ending a two-month ceasefire.

Speaking to troops, he said Hamas would continue to “suffer blow after blow”.

In a statement on Telegram, Mr Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ military wing Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said: “We announce that we have lost contact with the group holding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct strike on their location.”

He added: “We are still trying to reach them at this moment.”

The military wing later released a video addressed to the families of the remaining hostages, warning them that their loved ones were likely to return in coffins if Israel kept up its bombardment of the territory.

Over video images of masked militants carrying black coffins out of white vans in the darkness, the video carried a subtitled message in English, Arabic and Hebrew.

“Be prepared. Soon, your children will return in black coffins with their bodies torn apart by shrapnel from your army’s missiles,” the message warns.

Hamas’ armed wing

released a video on April 12

showing Mr Alexander alive, in which he criticised the Israeli government for failing to secure his release.

Mr Alexander appeared to be speaking under duress in the footage, making frequent hand gestures as he criticised Mr Netanyahu’s government.

AFP was unable to determine when the video was filmed.

Mr Alexander was serving in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border when he was abducted by Palestinian militants during their October 2023 attack.

The soldier, who turned 21 in captivity, was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in the US state of New Jersey, returning to Israel after high school to join the army.

‘Gesture of goodwill’

Hamas said on April 14 it had received

a new truce offer

from Israel that foresees the release of 10 living hostages, starting with Mr Alexander, in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire.

A Hamas official said the Israeli proposal called for Mr Alexander’s release on the first day of the ceasefire as a “gesture of goodwill”.

It was delivered to the group’s delegation in Cairo by Egyptian officials at the weekend, and a senior Hamas official told AFP the group would “most likely” respond within 48 hours.

Another Hamas official said Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian militants disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war, but said this crossed a “red line”.

Out of 251 hostages taken during Hamas’ October 2023 attack, a total of 58 remain in captivity, including 34 that the Israeli military says are dead.

In northern Gaza, Mr Netanyahu told troops, “They are striking the enemy and Hamas will continue to suffer blow after blow. We insist that they release our hostages, and we insist on achieving all of our war objectives.”

French President Emmanuel Macron told Mr Netanyahu in a telephone call on April 15 that only a ceasefire in Gaza could free the remaining hostages.

Saying the suffering of Gazan civilians “must end”, he called for “opening all humanitarian aid crossings” into the Palestinian territory.

Israel has cut off all aid to the Gaza Strip since March 2 to pressure Hamas.

The United Nations has warned that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is spiralling out of control, with no aid having entered the territory for 1½ months.

“The humanitarian situation is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Mr Macron angered Israel last week when he suggested Paris

could recognise a Palestinian state

during a UN conference in New York in June.

Mr Netanyahu’s office said he told Mr Macron on April 15 that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be a “huge reward for terrorism”. AFP