From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Ahead of Mother’s Day, mom of Edan Alexander says she’s unable to celebrate while son still in captivity
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Hagit Chen, mother of hostage Itay Chen, a soldier whose remains were abducted by Hamas terrorists after he was killed on October 7, 2023, says that she finds it difficult to acknowledge that her son is dead, as there is no physical evidence of his death, only intelligence information.
“He was 19 when he was kidnapped, and I say he’s 21 because I’m counting the years since October 7,” says Chen. “We didn’t have a funeral, we didn’t sit shiva, we don’t have a grave, we can’t go to a cemetery. It’s really difficult to acknowledge that he’s dead, even though they pronounced that Itay is not alive. I still dream about him coming back to me.”
Chen, along with Yael Alexander, mother of hostage Edan Alexander, and Herut Nimrodi, mother of hostage Tamir Nimrodi, speak to the press ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11.
The three women talk about being mothers who haven’t seen their sons in 19 months, and the pain of not knowing their children’s fates.
Alexander, who lives in Tenafly, New Jersey, remarks about her family’s usual Mother’s Day celebrations, which follow her birthday on May 9. She says she is unable to celebrate anything since Edan was taken captive.
“Sadness is all over me,” she says. “I don’t sleep at night, I cry every night. It’s 580 days and still I’m stuck on October 7. The emotions, the fear, the emptiness in my heart. I’m just hoping something is going to happen, that we’re going to see changes in the near future. We have to have this closure.”
The three women speak about first hearing in the media about the comments made by Sara Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump regarding doubts about three hostages who may no longer be alive.
“It’s not okay to get any news like that,” says Alexander. “To suddenly hear Sara Netanyahu say something like it doesn’t matter, and then President Trump, it was very disturbing and concerning for all the families. This is a human life.”
Alexander adds that her family is hoping and praying that Trump’s upcoming visit to the Middle East next week will yield some movement, declaration, or announcement regarding the hostages.
“President Trump is known as a very creative person and we want him to surprise us with some good news,” says Chen.
The Times of Israel Community.