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Monday, July 7, 2025
Edan Alexander told senior Saudis about Hamas captivity in chance White House meeting
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
During an unexpected encounter at the White House last week, freed US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander spoke with Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Riyadh’s Ambassador to Washington Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, recounting his experience in Hamas captivity, Channel 12 news reports.
Following Alexander’s Thursday meeting with US President Donald Trump, who helped secure the 21-year-old’s release from Hamas captivity in May, the young man and his family ran into the two senior Saudi officials, who had met with Trump the same day to discuss de-escalation efforts with Iran.
According to Channel 12, Alexander conversed with the top Saudi diplomat in “fluent Arabic,” which he had picked up in Gaza during captivity, and told them about what he had experienced during his 584 days held by Hamas.
Both the White House and the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington declined to comment, adds the network.
The impromptu conversation came at a time of growing speculation around potential normalization agreements between Israel and nearby Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Syria — topics expected to be on the agenda during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week.
The Times of Israel Community.