The armed wing of Hamas announced on Tuesday that it had lost contact with the unit guarding Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier held in Gaza, following an Israeli airstrike that reportedly hit their location.

Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, said the group fears Alexander may have been deliberately targeted. “It appears the occupation army is trying to kill him to relieve itself from international pressure over dual-nationality prisoners,” he said.

Edan Alexander is believed to be the last surviving prisoner with American citizenship. In a video released by Hamas on 12 April, he criticised the Israeli leadership for abandoning him. Earlier this year, Hamas expressed willingness to release him as part of a second phase in ceasefire talks—a proposal that remains unanswered by Israel.

Since the start of the war, over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 116,000 wounded. Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced. Despite a brief truce in January that saw limited prisoner exchanges, the situation remains dire as Israel resumed its offensive in March, effectively closing the door on further negotiations.

As bombardments continue, the fate of prisoners like Alexander hangs in the balance—caught between military escalation and political deadlock.