Hamas, the Palestinian armed group, said on Sunday night that it would free the last living American citizen held captive in Gaza, just days before President Trump is expected to arrive in the region for the first major foreign tour of his second term.

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s lead negotiator, said in a statement that Hamas had agreed to free the hostage, Edan Alexander, 21, after talks with the United States. He did not say when Mr. Alexander would be released or what Hamas expected to receive in exchange.

Raised in Tenafly, N.J., Mr. Alexander, an Israeli American dual citizen, moved to Israel to serve in the military after high school. During the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian militants abducted him from the military post where he was stationed.

The announcement comes at a pivotal moment in the Middle East, where Mr. Trump is scheduled to land on Tuesday for a round of diplomacy. Mr. Trump is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the wake of disagreements with Israel over talks with Iran on its nuclear program.

The war in Gaza will hang heavy over Mr. Trump’s visit, even though he is not visiting Israel. The Israeli government is threatening a major military offensive that would displace most people in Gaza unless Hamas surrenders and turns over its remaining hostages. Israel has already been blocking food and other aid to Gaza for more than two months, deepening the enclave’s humanitarian crisis.

Hamas has broadly refused to free more captives, saying that Israel must first commit to a path to ending the war. But in a possible effort to gain favor with Mr. Trump, Hamas agreed to free Mr. Alexander as a gesture of good will, according to the U.S. official and another diplomat briefed on the talks, who spoke anonymously to discuss the sensitive negotiations.

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