By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday will meet Edan Alexander, who was believed to be the last surviving U.S. hostage held by Palestinian militants in Gaza when the Israeli-American was handed over by Hamas in May, the White House said on Monday.
Tuesday will mark the second anniversary of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say, with thousands also feared buried under rubble.
Trump’s meeting with Alexander comes as the U.S. president made public a proposal last week for Gaza’s future, including ending Israel’s war in the enclave. The meeting was scheduled for 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Tuesday at the White House.
Delegations from Israel and Hamas held indirect negotiations in Egypt on Monday on Trump’s plan, wrestling with contentious issues such as demands that Israel withdraw and Hamas disarm.
Israel and Hamas have both endorsed the overall principles behind Trump’s plan, which has been backed by Arab and Western powers.
The proposal has received criticism from rights advocates over the idea of a transitional governance panel that would report to a board headed by Trump and include Tony Blair, the former British prime minister infamous for his involvement in the invasion of Iraq that was premised on false claims of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.
Trump has called for negotiations to take place swiftly towards a final deal.
Trump vowed a quick end to the war upon taking office. His term began with a ceasefire of two months that ended when Israeli strikes killed 400 Palestinians on March 18.
Images of starving Palestinians, including children, have sparked criticism of U.S. ally Israel’s assault, which has internally displaced Gaza’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide.
Israel calls its actions self-defense after the 2023 Hamas attack.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington)
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