Hamas said Monday that its armed wing had released a U.S.-Israeli hostage, with a source close to the Islamist movement adding that Edan Alexander was handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

"The (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades have just released the Zionist soldier and American citizen Edan Alexander, following contacts with the U.S. administration, as part of the efforts undertaken by mediators to achieve a ceasefire," Hamas said in a statement.