Hamas says it has “misplaced contact” with the group of fighters holding an Israeli-American hostage captive in Gaza following an Israeli strike on their location.
The 21-year-old soldier, Edan Alexander, has appeared in movies launched by the group in current days.
Israel had requested for him to be launched on day one in every of a brand new 45-day ceasefire proposal put ahead final week which has been rejected by Hamas.
Hamas on Tuesday didn’t point out when contact had been misplaced and has not produced any proof for his or her declare. Israel repeatedly asserts it avoids hitting areas the place it believes hostages are being held.
“We announce that we’ve misplaced contact with the group holding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct strike on their location,” Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida mentioned in a press release.
“We’re nonetheless making an attempt to achieve them at this second,” he added.
Of the 251 hostages taken throughout Hamas’s 2023 assault, 59 stay within the enclave, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
5 of the hostages in Gaza are believed to be US residents and Alexander was considered the one one nonetheless alive.
Hamas in a while Tuesday additionally launched a video addressed to the households of the remaining hostages, warning that they’d return in coffins if Israel continued its navy offensive in Gaza.
On Saturday, Hamas had launched a video of Alexander alive during which he pleads for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump to barter his launch.
Alexander was a part of an Israeli proposal for a 45-day ceasefire that will contain “the discharge of half of the hostages within the first week of the settlement,” a Hamas official advised AFP. The official mentioned the proposal referred to as for Alexander’s launch on the primary day as a “gesture of goodwill”.
A two-month ceasefire firstly of the 12 months noticed Hamas launch 33 hostages in return for the discharge of 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and help and items getting into the strip.
After negotiations for a second section unravelled, Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March.
Born in Tel Aviv however raised in New Jersey, Alexander was serving in an elite infantry unit on the border with Gaza when he was captured by Hamas militants through the 7 October assault.
His father, Adi Alexander, had questioned Netanyahu’s actions in an interview on Monday with US outlet NewsNation, asking: “How do you intend to get hostages out with out ending this conflict and with out committing to the second section of this deal?”
Hamas has mentioned it is able to return all of these nonetheless held captive in change for an entire finish to hostilities and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
On Tuesday, the group rejected Israel’s proposal for a renewed ceasefire.
A senior Palestinian official advised the BBC: “The Israeli proposal relayed to the motion by way of Egypt explicitly referred to as for the disarmament of Hamas with none Israeli dedication to finish the conflict or withdraw from Gaza. Hamas due to this fact rejected the supply in its entirety.”
Since Israel restarted its offensive in Gaza, not less than 1,630 folks have been killed – bringing the overall killed in 18 months of conflict to 51,000, in response to the newest figures from the Hamas-run well being ministry.
The conflict was triggered by the Hamas assaults on 7 October 2023 during which 1,200 folks had been killed and 251 taken hostage.
