UPDATE – Trump’s envoy arrives in Israel ahead of Israeli-American hostage’s release from Gaza

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Mohammed Al Ragawi, Rania Abu Shamala, Betul Yilmaz

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL (AA) – US President Donald Trump’s envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, and the parents of Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander arrived in Israel on Monday ahead of his expected release from Gaza.

Israel’s Army Radio said Boehler’s arrival came hours before Alexander, the last known living US hostage held in Gaza, who is set to be released by Hamas on Monday.

Trump said Sunday that Hamas' forthcoming release of the soldier marks a "step taken in good faith" towards the US and regional mediators, signaling that it might be the first of the "final steps" needed to end Israel's war.

According to Israeli Channel 12, Alexander is expected to be released at 6.30 pm local time (1530GMT) in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.

Alexander will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which will transport him from Khan Younis to be delivered to Israeli forces.

According to Hamas, the soldier’s release would be among several steps aimed at facilitating a ceasefire, reopening border crossings, and allowing humanitarian aid and relief supplies into the Gaza Strip.

Israel estimates that 59 captives remain in Gaza, including 21 believed to be alive. Meanwhile, over 9,900 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel, where rights groups report widespread torture, starvation, and medical neglect, resulting in several deaths.

Nearly 52,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.