Edan Alexander freed from Hamas captivity
Terror group releases 21-year-old hostage following direct deal with US ahead of Trump’s Mideast trip.
(THE TIMES OF ISRAEL) American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander reunited with his parents in Israel on Monday, after being released by Hamas in a gesture of goodwill to the United States, as President Donald Trump prepared to embark on a visit to the Middle East.
Alexander, the last known living hostage with American citizenship, was freed following direct talks between the US and Hamas in Qatar. Israeli officials were only informed after the deal had been finalised.
Upon arriving in Israel, the 21-year-old lone soldier embraced his teary-eyed parents, Yael and Adi, and his siblings at an army facility near the Gaza border community of Re’im, following 584 days in Hamas captivity.
“Look how massive this kid is!” Alexander shouted, as he hugged his younger brother.
Hamas handed Alexander to Red Cross officials in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis around 6pm, without staging a propaganda ceremony – a departure from the group’s usual tactics in previous hostage releases.
In the first photo taken after his release, Alexander was seen standing unassisted between a Red Cross worker and three armed, masked Hamas terrorists. He was dressed in a baseball cap and a black Adidas T-shirt, rather than the mock IDF uniforms other soldiers were previously forced to wear.
According to Channel 12 News, a Red Cross official said Alexander’s “physical condition was poor, but he is smiling”, and that he required help getting into the car.
Alexander reportedly told IDF soldiers that Hamas subjected him to weeks of harsh torture and that he was held in a cage for an extended period, with his hands and feet bound. He is believed to have been imprisoned in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza alongside other hostages.
After being transferred to the Red Cross, he was handed over to IDF special forces stationed in the enclave, who brought him across the border to the Re’im base, where his parents were waiting.
Alexander’s mother flew to Israel from the US with other relatives and American hostage envoy Adam Boehler, arriving on Sunday night. His father arrived separately on Monday evening.
They were accompanied by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostage coordinator Gal Hirsch. At the base, Edan’s mother Yael joyfully spoke with him by phone once he was freed.
“You’re out, my love, you’re out!” she exclaimed in a video shared by the Prime Minister’s Office. “You are strong. You are safe. You are home. We’ll see each other soon. I love you.”
While en route to hospital by helicopter from the Re’im base, Alexander posed for a photo holding a sign that read: “Thank you President Trump! The people of Israel live! Let’s go Golani 51,” referring to his IDF battalion.
Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade at the time of his abduction. He was kidnapped from his base near the Gaza border community of Nirim — known as the White House post — during Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
Hamas abducted 19 male soldiers — not all of whom were on duty — along with seven female surveillance soldiers. All seven women have since been returned to Israel; five were released in a deal, one was rescued, and the body of one was recovered by troops.
‘Beacon of hope’
In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed Alexander’s release but urged continued focus on the remaining hostages.
“Edan’s release is a beacon of light and hope, but also a stark reminder that 58 men and women remain captive in Gaza. We must not leave a single hostage behind,” it said. “The return of all hostages is our generation’s most urgent and critical mission.”
Hamas and other terror groups are currently holding 58 hostages, of whom 35 have been confirmed dead — 32 Israelis and three foreign nationals.
While Israel’s official estimate puts the number of living hostages at 23, Netanyahu last week expressed serious doubts over the fate of three — Israeli Tamir Nimrodi, and foreign nationals Bipin Joshi and Pinta Nattapong from Nepal and Thailand, respectively.
At a press conference, Trump was asked whether Alexander’s release signalled progress towards a ceasefire. “We hope that we’re going to have other hostages released,” he replied.
Doha talks
In the wake of Alexander’s release and a call with Trump, Netanyahu announced that a delegation would travel to Doha on Tuesday in a renewed attempt to negotiate another hostage release and temporary ceasefire.
According to his office, Netanyahu discussed the effort with Witkoff and Mike Huckabee, in line with the framework proposed by Witkoff. “To that end, the prime minister instructed that a negotiation delegation be sent to Doha tomorrow,” the statement said, emphasising that “the negotiations will take place only under fire,” with military operations continuing.
Later on Monday, Netanyahu claimed in a video that Alexander’s return was “achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump”, calling it “a winning combination”.
Non-American hostages ‘worth less’
Despite joy at Alexander’s return, families of non-American hostages voiced frustration and concern over what they perceive as unequal treatment.
Kibbutz Nir Oz said it was “deeply moved” by Alexander’s release, calling his return “a bright light in the darkness we find ourselves in”. But it added that it feared for the fate of the 14 members of its community who remain in Hamas captivity.
“A hostage with an American passport is given priority, while the other 58 hostages are left behind,” the kibbutz said in a statement. “It is hard to ignore the difficult message that the citizens of the State of Israel are receiving today, and which is being conveyed to the entire world: our lives are worth less.”
Jacob Magid and Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report.
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