DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas on Monday released an Israeli-American soldier who had been held hostage in Gaza for more than 19 months, offering a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel.

in Tel Aviv, Monday, May 12, 2025. Alexander was abducted during the Hamas-led attack on his base on October 7, 2023. Credit: AP/Ohad Zwigenberg Hostages freed since then have given the family more news, his father said. Some said Alexander had lost a lot ...

A missile strike near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and Israel’s airstrike on Yemen’s main airport forced more than a dozen airlines to suspend flights.

This was my biggest fear my whole life, before captivity, during captivity,” she reportedly said. “And it happened to me after captivity, in my safest place.”

The Israeli attack came a day after a Yemeni ballistic missile landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers.

About 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the Hamas-led attacks that month and some 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israel. Kat Lonsdorf reported from Washington, D.C., and Daniel Estrin reported from Tel Aviv. Itay Stern contributed to this ...

You are strong. You are safe. You are home. We’ll see each other soon. I love you,” Yael Alexander said to her son.