Hamas has reported that they have released the last living American-Israeli hostage held in Gaza on Monday. Hamas said it released Edan Alexander as a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration to try to revive talks on ending the war. The Israeli military said Alexander is with the Red Cross and being brought to Israeli forces. Trump said that the U.S.-Israeli citizen was expected to be released by Hamas in the “next two hours” or “sometime today.” “He’s coming home to his parents, which is really great news,” Trump told reporters at the White House shortly he was scheduled to depart for a whirlwind visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
This is important because it shows how Hamas is doing what it can to show that it wants to have good diplomatic ties with the United States and to show that it is willing to be peaceful and cooperate. Hamas wants to cooperate with the United States and Israel in order to avoid any more strikes on Palestinian territory by the Israeli military. The United States is also very interested in getting all of its citizens that were hostages to return home safely.
This relates to what we learned in class because it shows the extent to which abiding by international norms and avoiding any forms of human rights abuses can aid in allowing for a state to find support. Hamas and by extension all of Palestine desperately wants autonomy and is doing everything possible in order to ensure that it can have a future with that level of self governance it desires. Another important factor to consider is how the United States is trying to support Israel while still being open to a diplomatic resolution to the violence, and to getting the last of the American hostages home.