JERUSALEM — When Edan Alexander was just 19 years old, he faced a situation most would find unimaginable. Serving as a soldier in the Israeli military, the American-Israeli from New Jersey was tragically captured by Hamas militants during an assault on his military base. He was subsequently dragged into Gaza, marking the beginning of a harrowing journey.
In a move seen as a gesture of goodwill, Hamas released Edan Alexander, the last living American held hostage in Gaza, shortly before former President Donald Trump’s visit to the area. The release is being perceived as an attempt to breathe new life into moderated efforts aimed at resolving the 19-month-long conflict.
Edan was part of the 251 hostages taken during the notorious October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas—an attack that sparked an extensive war. Out of those, 58 are still believed to be in Gaza, with only a third thought to remain alive. The other hostages were freed under ceasefire conditions or various other agreements.
Upon hearing the news of his impending release, the Alexander family expressed that they were receiving an “incredible gift,” learning that their beloved son, Edan, would be returning home after enduring 583 days of captivity. Making a swift journey to Israel, his parents arrived on the day of his release. Trump’s hostage negotiator, Adam Boehler, shared an image on social media, capturing Edan’s mother, Yael, embarking on the flight.
Edan, a native of Tenafly near New York City, relocated to Israel in 2022, choosing to serve in the military after completing high school. The young soldier was captured after voluntarily remaining at the base during the Jewish Sabbath.
A heart-wrenching video released by Hamas during the Thanksgiving weekend of 2024 showed Edan crying and pleading for help, a sight both distressing and comforting for his family, who were relieved to see that he was still alive. Accounts from hostages released afterward brought the family more news. Reports indicated that Edan had lost significant weight and had been advocating for fellow hostages, particularly urging the captors to release captive Thai workers uninvolved in the conflict.
Despite being a soldier, Edan was not included in earlier releases during a ceasefire that saw 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others freed in exchange for nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. The freed hostages, some emaciated, invoked further despair among those whose loved ones remained captives.
Hamas insisted on a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, alongside the release of more Palestinian prisoners, as terms for releasing the remaining hostages. However, Israel has outrightly refused these demands, maintaining that the war effort would persist until all hostages are free and Hamas is dismantled.
In March, Hamas had offered to release Edan and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to the stalled ceasefire. Edan’s father actively engaged with Trump’s hostage team almost daily, fervently advocating for his son’s release.
Soon after, Israel broke the uneasy truce with a surprising bombardment that resulted in significant Palestinian casualties. Israel justified its strategies as a means to compel Hamas into revisiting the ceasefire negotiations. Hamas, however, warned of the increased risk to hostages due to renewed hostilities.
By April, Hamas released another video of Edan, showing him in a dimly lit environment which his family suspected was within Hamas’ extensive tunnel network. Soon, Hamas announced it had lost touch with the captors responsible for Edan following an Israeli airstrike on their position, though Israeli authorities have remained silent on this claim.
In the wake of Edan’s liberation, his family publicly appealed to the Israeli government to relentlessly pursue the freedom of all the remaining hostages—an appeal echoed by many other affected families. “Please continue working to free the hostages,” the Alexander family implored, expressing hope that Edan’s release will catalyze negotiations for the remaining captives, finally ending this agonizing saga for their families.