From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
‘You gave me hell, I’ll give you hell back,’ Edan Alexander warns Hamas in speech on Gaza border
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Released hostage Edan Alexander speaks in IDF uniform to a group of 1,000 Christian pastors and influencers at the site of the October 7, 2023, Nova music festival massacre.
The American-Israeli former captive tells the group about fighting the Hamas-led October 7 attack, and his determination to offer the knowledge about Hamas that he gained in captivity to the IDF.
“I know the language, I know their culture, I know a lot of things about these demons. I just told myself there’s no way I’ll take this present and put it aside. I have to use it and return it.”
He says this is the first time he has been in uniform along the Gaza border, and he wants Hamas to see that. “You gave me hell, I’ll give you hell back,” he says.
The delegation, the largest Christian group ever to visit Israel, was organized by Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion (FOZ) museum in Jerusalem, and the Foreign Ministry.
Freed hostages Emily Damari, Tal Shoham, Moran Stella Yanai, and Aviva and Keith Siegel also addressed the groups, and received the Here Am I Award from Evans in recognition of their contribution to international advocacy.
Damari told the group as she looks at her award, “It is written FOZ. Foz in Arabic says win, just so you know.”
The delegation will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and top defense and intelligence officials.
The Times of Israel Community.