when Hamas militants stormed the Israeli military base where the New Jersey-raised American-Israeli was a soldier and dragged him into the Gaza Strip.
Hamas released Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, on Monday ahead of this week. The militant group called it a goodwill gesture aimed at reviving mediated efforts to end the 19-month war.
Watch 온라인카지노사이트 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREAlexander was among 251 people taken hostage in that ignited the war. Fifty-eight remain in Gaza. Around a third are believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
After Hamas announced on Sunday he would be released, Alexander's family said it “received the greatest gift imaginable — news that our beautiful son Edan is returning home after 583 days in captivity in Gaza.”
Get top local stories delivered to you every morning with 온라인카지노사이트 DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP Alexander’s parents flew to Israel on Monday. Trump’s hostage negotiator, Adam Boehler, posted a picture on social media showing Alexander's mother, Yael, aboard the flight.
Alexander, who was raised in the New York City suburb of Tenafly, moved to Israel in 2022 after high school and enlisted in the military. Hamas militants seized him from his military base after he volunteered to stay there over the Jewish Sabbath.
More coverage
In a video Hamas released of Alexander over Thanksgiving weekend in November 2024, he cried and pleaded for help. Though the video was difficult to watch, his family said, it came as a relief to see he was alive.
Hostages freed since then have given the family more news, his father said. Some said Alexander had lost a lot of weight. Others said he’d been an advocate for fellow hostages, standing up for captive and telling their captors that the workers weren't involved in the conflict and should be freed.
Alexander, like other male soldiers held in Gaza, was not included among hostages released during a ceasefire earlier this year. Hamas released in January and February in return for The sight of some emaciated hostages among those freed brought fresh despair to families whose loved ones remained in Gaza.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, along with the release of more Palestinian prisoners. Israel has rejected those terms, saying it will continue the war until all the hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated.
Hamas said in March it would release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to the stalled ceasefire agreement. Alexander’s father, Adi, said at the time he was speaking with Trump’s hostage negotiators almost daily, pressing for his son's release.
Days later, Israel shattered the truce with a surprise bombardment . Israel called the renewed bombardment a tactic to pressure Hamas to negotiate different ceasefire terms. Hamas said the offensive puts remaining hostages at risk.
In April, Hamas published another video of Alexander in which he spoke from a dark room. His family believes he has been held in Hamas' vast tunnel network.
Days later, Hamas said it had lost contact with the militants holding Alexander after an Israeli airstrike targeted their location. Israeli officials have not commented on the claim.
The Alexander family Monday urged the Israeli government to continue efforts to free all the hostages — a plea that other families have echoed since the Hamas announcement on Sunday.
“Please don’t stop," Alexander's family said. "We hope our son’s release begins negotiations for all 58 remaining hostages, ending this nightmare for them and their families.”
