Edan Alexander’s parents say he endured ‘terrible fears’ in captivity, including of IDF strikes; they thank Trump, not Netanyahu

Yael and Adi Alexander, parents of released hostage Edan Alexander, give a statement to reporters at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Hospital, a day after he was released home after 584 days in Hamas captivity.

They are surrounded by their other two children and other family members, all holding signs of other hostages still held in captivity.

Yael Alexander, speaking in Hebrew, and Adi Alexander, speaking in English, thank US President Donald Trump and his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and hostage envoy Adam Boehler, for their work in bringing their son home.

“President Trump, Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler worked day and night to bring back my son,” says Yael Alexander.

“We’ll never be able to express what that means to us, but we’ll never forget the tireless effort on Edan’s behalf; we are in their debt,” says Adi Alexander.

Yael Alexander thanks the Israeli public for supporting her and her family in their effort to bring Edan home. She does not thank the Israeli government, and they notably avoid thanking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has argued that Israeli military pressure contributed to the release.

“Most of the public believes that bringing back the hostages is the most important goal, a national and Jewish goal,” she says. “It’s not about right or left, but about the human heart.”

She calls on the Netanyahu government to heed that call.

“I say that the return of Edan should be only the beginning of bringing back the rest of the hostages,” she says. “We have no time to wait. The time is running out and the world is watching us.”

Yael Alexander describes what her son has told them so far, about the terrible fears in captivity, the lack of water, the lack of food and aid, and the terror experienced when the IDF would strike Gaza, destroying buildings and bringing the fear of death to the captives.

“The strikes and bombs made him think that every moment was about to be his last one,” she says.

“Edan, my hero, you returned from the disaster. But other hostages are still living through that threat, they are still living in that hell. My heart has resumed beating, but they still need to return home.”

Adi Alexander emphasizes in English what his wife says in Hebrew.

He mentions that his son, a dual American-Israeli citizen who was serving in the IDF as a lone soldier, will soon return home to the US, to New Jersey, to his life, family and friends.

“This isn’t just about our family,” says Adi Alexander. “Tomorrow, a new set of negotiations will begin that could lead to more hostages coming home and eventually the end of this war.”

“For me and my family, the effort to bring home all 58 hostages will continue until they’re all at home. Hopefully, these negotiations will lead to that moment.”