A senior Hamas official has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to derail ceasefire negotiations by targeting Idan Alexander, an American-Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza.
The official, speaking to Al Manassa on condition of anonymity, said resistance forces in Gaza uncovered an alleged Israeli plot through "field interrogations with suspected collaborators." According to him, the detainees had been instructed to locate Alexander, whom Hamas recently said it intends to release in the coming days as part of a broader negotiation framework.
Hamas is currently holding 59 captives in Gaza, 35 of which the Israeli occupation army claims to be dead, while 22 are believed still be alive. The status of two others remains unknown. Five of the captives are U.S. citizens.
The Hamas official said evidence suggests Israel's objective was not to rescue Alexander, but to "eliminate him" to thwart recent progress in ceasefire talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US. The talks in Doha marked the second round of direct negotiations between Hamas and US officials.
According to messages relayed by mediators, Netanyahu did not welcome direct communication between Hamas and US presidential deputy envoy Steve Witkoff in Doha, the official added.
The official cited an Israeli airstrike last month targeting a tunnel where Alexander had been held, suggesting the attack may have been deliberate. "They struck a tunnel, not a residential building, which means they likely had intelligence indicating the presence of captives," the official said.
Alexander, 20, served in the Golani Brigade and was captured on October 7 during the assault on the Kissufim military site near the Gaza border.
According to a second Hamas source, the US delegation in Doha had shown greater flexibility in recent days, backing away from earlier demands to disarm Hamas. Instead, discussions focused on weapons oversight mechanisms that would prevent their use if a ceasefire were reached.
"The Americans realized that without a deal, there’s no way to retrieve the surviving captives," the second official said. "They also saw the risk in Netanyahu's escalations, especially after the resistance inflicted recent losses on Israeli ground troops."
Over the weekend, the Israeli occupation army reported that nine soldiers were wounded in Gaza City's Shujaiya neighborhood in an explosion caused by an improvised device. Last month, Al-Qassam Brigades announced it had ambushed an Israeli unit east of the city in a multi-stage operation.
Meanwhile, the Israeli security cabinet has approved an expanded offensive in Gaza. Yet, indirect negotiations are set to resume under the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the US, aimed at brokering a temporary truce lasting between three and four weeks. The truce would allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
The proposed truce includes the release of three living captives and four bodies of US nationals held by Hamas, according to the second Hamas official. Hamas also confirmed via Telegram that it had held direct talks with US officials in recent days and expressed willingness to release Alexander as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
"We have responded positively," Hamas said in a statement, "and will release the US-Israeli soldier as part of our commitment to ceasefire efforts and humanitarian access."
