Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would normally celebrate a hostage release such as that took place on Monday, though in this case the deal with Hamas is another sign U.S. President Donald Trump is starting to make decisions without him.
The freeing of Edan Alexander, the last living U.S. citizen held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has been presented by the Palestinian militant group as a gesture to Trump on the eve of his trip to the Middle East, where he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but not Jerusalem.
The isolated release — which Israel objected to when it was first proposed two months ago — follows the start of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran about a new nuclear deal, a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis and Washington’s imposition of tariffs on Israel — all at odds with Netanyahu’s wishes.
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