Alexander’s release reflects a rift in Washington-Tel Aviv relations.
The Zionist newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported: Although the issue of direct negotiations between the United States and Hamas is not a political disaster or an unprecedented crisis between Israel and the United States the agreement of US representatives with Hamas to release “Aydan Alexander” through direct negotiations indicates the widening of the gaps between Washington and Tel Aviv.
The report states: The US decision not to wait for the Israeli side and to reach a limited agreement (with Hamas for Alexander’s release) without coordinating with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is evidence of an unusual failure of Israel’s political leadership.
In this regard, the Israeli regime’s Channel 13 television reported that the regime’s cabinet ministers criticized the Trump administration in a security meeting for the agreement with Hamas for Alexander’s release.
The report states: Despite Netanyahu’s efforts to show that relations between Washington and Tel Aviv are good, relations between the two sides have become more tense than before.
Another part of the report states: Netanyahu emphasized in the security meeting that this is the Trump administration’s method of reaching a broad agreement. Israel’s Minister of Internal Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, also responded to Netanyahu by saying that if the Trump administration turns its back on us and bypasses us, we should not give Hamas any commitments.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced in a statement on Monday night that the movement’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had released “Aidan Alexander,” a Zionist military prisoner with American citizenship, and stressed: “Following contacts with the US government in line with the efforts of the mediating parties to establish a ceasefire, open border crossings, and send humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip, the Al-Qassam Brigades recently released “Aidan Alexander,” a Zionist military prisoner with American citizenship.”
The Hamas movement emphasized: “This action was taken after important contacts and a positive approach and with great flexibility from Hamas.”
The movement added: We emphasize that serious and responsible negotiations will bring positive results in the release of the Zionist prisoners, but the continuation of the aggression will only prolong their suffering and may even take their lives.
In this statement, the Hamas movement announced its readiness to immediately begin negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, the end of the siege of the area, the exchange of prisoners and its reconstruction.
The Hamas movement also called on the Trump administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war that the war criminal Netanyahu has waged against children, women and defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip.