Hamas set to free U.S.-Israeli hostage, Israel says no ceasefire

Hamas will release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander from Gaza on Monday, the Palestinian militant group said, although Israel's prime minister said there would be no ceasefire and plans for an intensified military campaign would continue.Fighting will pause to allow for Alexander's safe passage, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

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Three Palestinians in Gaza told Reuters early on Monday afternoon that there had been calm since midday, with no sound of drones or warplanes.The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.Israel was told on Sunday of Hamas' decision to free the last surviving U.S. hostage in Gaza as a goodwill gesture to President Donald Trump."Edan Alexander, American hostage thought dead, to be released by Hamas. Great news!" Trump wrote in capital letters on his social media platform on Monday.The release, after four-way talks between Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar, could open the way to freeing the remaining 59 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, 19 months after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.Netanyahu said Israel had agreed only to allow safe passage for Alexander, and its forces would continue recently announced preparations to step up operations there."Israel has not committed to a ceasefire of any kind," his office said, adding that military pressure had forced Hamas into the release. “The negotiations will continue under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting."An Israeli strike had earlier killed at least 15 people sheltering in a school housing displaced families in Jabalia in northern Gaza, local health authorities said.Israel's military