Hamas claims loss of contact with Israeli-American captive as Israel demands release under new ceasefire proposal
Tensions escalated on Tuesday (15 April) after Hamas claimed it could no longer contact the unit responsible for holding Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, who is central to Israel’s latest truce proposal.
The militant group said an Israeli airstrike had hit the location where Alexander was being held, and communication with his captors was lost. “We have not managed to re-establish contact with the group since the strike,” said Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’s armed faction, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, via Telegram.
The announcement follows continued Israeli military operations across northern Gaza, resumed on 18 March after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the conflict zone on Tuesday to assess the ongoing offensive, his office confirmed.
In a stark warning to the families of hostages, Hamas later released a video showing masked fighters removing black coffins from vehicles under cover of darkness. Subtitled in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, the footage declared: “Prepare yourselves. Your children will return in coffins, bodies torn by shrapnel from your own army’s missiles.”
A prior video released on Saturday featured Alexander alive, though visibly under duress, as he criticised Israel’s leadership for its failure to secure his freedom. AFP has not verified the date the footage was filmed.
Alexander, who grew up in New Jersey after being born in Tel Aviv, was conscripted into an elite Israeli unit and abducted by Hamas during its 7 October 2023 cross-border assault. He turned 21 while in captivity.
As part of renewed negotiations, Hamas confirmed it had received an Israeli offer via Egyptian mediators proposing a 45-day truce. Under the terms, 10 living hostages would be freed, beginning with Alexander as an initial goodwill gesture. A Hamas official stated a response to the offer would likely be delivered within 48 hours.
However, the proposal also included a demand that Hamas disarm—an expectation the group declared a non-starter. “This crosses a red line,” said another Hamas representative.
Out of 251 hostages seized in the October attack, 58 are still believed to be in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military considers dead.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. The United Nations has reported that no aid has entered the enclave since 2 March, warning that the current situation may be the direst in the 18 months of conflict. “We are witnessing the total collapse of humanitarian conditions,” stated the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a call with Netanyahu, urged for an immediate ceasefire, the opening of aid corridors, and warned that only through halting hostilities could the remaining hostages be freed. His recent suggestion that France might recognise Palestinian statehood at an upcoming UN summit drew criticism from Israel. Netanyahu reportedly told Macron that doing so would amount to “rewarding terrorism.”
