Hamas has said it will release the last living US hostage as well as the bodies of four other dual nationals, following an intervention from the White House.

In what could mark a breakthrough, the terror group said it would free 21-year-old Edan Alexander, having “responded positively” to a proposal to restart the stalled negotiations.

It follows intensive efforts by the US administration to secure the release of its citizens, which risked a rupture with Israel.

The ceasefire deal has been in a state of limbo since the beginning of March, with Israel unwilling to discuss a complete withdrawal of its forces from Gaza because of its determination to wipe Hamas off the map.

In its statement on Friday, Hamas said: “The movement reaffirms its full readiness to begin negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the second phase of the deal, stressing the need to ensure Israel fulfils its commitments in full.”

The apparent agreement follows a visit this week by Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, to the official talks in Qatar.

The result could be seen as a significant victory for the White House at the expense of its close ally Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Trump is primarily focused on securing the release of hostages – he posted an emotional threat against Hamas following meetings with released detainees – whereas the Israeli prime minister is seen as being at least as focused on destroying the terror group, with many in Israel accusing him of prioritising this more than securing future releases.