US, Hamas secured Edan Alexander's release through secret backchannel

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-853777

The secret backchannel that led to the release of Edan Alexander began when a senior Hamas official abroad contacted Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman and political activist, according to two senior Israeli officials, a senior Palestinian official, and a senior American official.

This was the first step in a covert diplomatic effort involving multiple governments and intermediaries, according to the officials. 

The senior Hamas figure reached out to Bahbah in April to initiate a channel to Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Though slow to build traction, the effort accelerated last week, a senior Israeli official said.