Trump wants Hamas to free American hostage as sign of goodwill in secret talks

President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US wants Hamas to free Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander as a show of goodwill in their secret negotiations.Alexander, 20, of Tenafly, New Jersey, is the only one of the five remaining American hostages in Gaza believed to still be alive — his release is currently scheduled for the second phase of the cease-fire agreement that has yet to get underway.“Edan Alexander is very important to us — as all the hostages are — but Edan Alexander is an American, and he’s injured, so he’s a top priority for us,” Witkoff told reporters Thursday.Witkoff confirmed reports from Wednesday that the US was actively speaking with Hamas, a reversal of decades-long policy not to engage terrorists, with hostage envoy Adam Boehler leading the discussions.The talks are reportedly centered around securing the second phase of the cease-fire agreement, with Witkoff suggesting the US would be more trusting if the terror group agreed to release Alexander early.“We feel that Hamas has not been forthright with us, and it’s time for them to be forthright with us,” Witkoff said of the talks.

“Edan Alexander would be a very important show.” Despite the administration’s push for Alexander’s release, Witkoff said the US was committed to getting all 59 hostages released, including the bodies of the other four Americans.“We want Edan back, but we want everybody back,” he stressed.The special envoy to the Middle East acknowledged that uncertainty remains for the current cease-fire in Gaza, with Israeli leaders looking to extend the first phase of the truce rather than move on to phase two, which calls for the Jewish State’s full withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave.Despite holding their own talks without Israel, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said happened without his knowledge, Witkoff insisted that the US would continue to back Israel’s demands.

One of those key demands is that Hamas not be...