The agreement to release Edan Alexander came after talks between Washington and Hamas that did not include Israel.

Both Al Jazeera and Reuters are reporting that Hamas and the US are directly discussing a ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

A senior Hamas official tells Newsweek that the Palestinian militant group saw "positive" potential in signs of a growing rift between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after offering the U.S. leader a political win in the form of an American hostage release ahead of his Middle East trip.

A senior Palestinian official confirmed that two meetings have taken place. Israel has not commented.

President Trump on Thursday suggested the U.S. would look to take control of the Gaza Strip and turn it into a “freedom zone,” highlighting one of his more controversial foreign policy proposals

Follow the latest on Trump's Gulf trip US President Donald Trump’s Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff held direct talks with Hamas leaders in Qatar on Wednesday, sources told The National. The meeting was a first between the real estate magnate and representatives of the militant Palestinian group,

Despite American pressure, Israel sticks to rigid terms as deadly airstrikes continue across Gaza during US President Trump’s regional visit - Anadolu Ajansı

His comments came after Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and many other countries, released the last surviving U.S.-Israeli hostage after a deal with Washington.