OVERNIGHT ISRAEL: Edan’s Release, Gaza’s Future, and the Question Israelis Can’t Ignore

Hope, Power, and a Changing Map

Trump’s Gaza proposal is bold. Edan Alexander is free after 584 days underground. And the Middle East is being reshaped without Israel at the table. Welcome to Overnight Israel, your essential briefing on the week’s biggest developments.

Trump’s Gaza Pitch: Rebuild or Rebrand?

Speaking to business leaders in Qatar, President Donald Trump painted a new vision for Gaza. He called it the “Freedom Zone,” a blank-slate rebuild where ruins give way to resorts, startups, and security. “There’s practically no buildings left,” he said. “We’re not saving something. We’re rebuilding something.”

But this transformation, he insists, depends on one thing: Hamas must go. Trump called October 7, 2023, when 1,200 were murdered and 251 kidnapped, “one of the worst days in the history of the world.”

Still, the irony is glaring. The devastation Trump now calls “unacceptable” was wrought by Israeli bombs backed by U.S. arms. Gaza’s health ministry reports over 52,000 deaths since that day. Trump’s shift to humanitarian talk is striking, if not suspiciously timed.

His outreach to Qatar complicates the picture. Qatar finances Hamas yet hosts its leaders while brokering ceasefires. Trump inked trade and aerospace deals with Doha. If his Gaza plan is to survive, Qatar will need to abandon Hamas. That may be a bridge too far for both sides.

Edan’s Ordeal: Darkness, Survival, and Coming Home

Edan Alexander, 21, was kidnapped while serving in the IDF near Gaza. For 584 days, he lived in darkness, literally and figuratively. His father described a life of chains, blindfolds, beatings, and tunnel collapses. His diet: pita, rice, beans, and black coffee. Bedbug bites covered his skin.

Everything changed after Trump’s reelection. Sources say his renewed threats, “big problems” for Hamas if hostages weren’t released, had an effect. Edan was transferred to a cleaner tunnel with more food. Then, on May 12, 2025, he was handed to the Red Cross in Khan Younis. Hamas called it a “goodwill gesture” to Trump.

Edan is now back in Israel, reunited with his parents. They thanked Trump, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and Shin Bet, but not Prime Minister Netanyahu, sparking backlash. Gratitude is warranted, but perspective matters. 58 hostages remain in Gaza. Up to 24 are believed alive. One miracle does not make a redemption.

Deals for Everyone Except Israel

Trump’s whirlwind Middle East tour yielded major contracts but excluded Israel. In Riyadh, he signed new weapons deals. In Doha, drones and aerospace. Even Syria’s newly empowered leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, received a handshake and partial sanctions relief.

Saudi Arabia, eyeing U.S. F-35s, may consider joining the Abraham Accords only if the Palestinians get statehood. Netanyahu won’t budge on that. Meanwhile, Syria hints at normalization and even talks of a “Trump Tower Damascus.”

Israeli officials are livid. Netanyahu reportedly pleaded with Trump not to ease Syria sanctions. His appeals were ignored. Trump insists the moves are “very good for Israel.” Many Israelis, left out of the negotiations entirely, aren’t convinced.

Iran Talks Big. But Is There a Deal?

Trump claims a new nuclear deal with Iran is “maybe close.” Tehran promises to cap uranium enrichment but offers no inspections, no signatures, and no enforcement. It’s verbal diplomacy, and Iran’s foreign minister still calls the U.S. “deceitful.”

While Iran funds Hamas and the Houthis, it also inches toward weapons-grade uranium. Outside Tehran, many Iranians admire Israel and crave regime change. But the regime they live under remains Trump’s negotiating partner.

Why are we bargaining with Iran’s oppressors? Why does one Israeli airstrike spark outrage while 60 percent enrichment gets a shrug?

What This All Means for Us

Trump’s Gaza plan hinges on Qatar turning against Hamas, an unlikely shift. Edan Alexander’s homecoming is powerful but incomplete. His Gulf diplomacy enriches regional powers while sidelining Israel. And the Iran deal is still just vapor.

The Middle East is shifting rapidly. But no mortal dealmaker, not even Trump, can fix what’s broken alone. For Jewish readers and families watching from afar, the message is clear. Trust in people, yes. But place your ultimate hope in something higher.

That’s all for now,

Catch you next time.