From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Newly freed Alexander won’t meet Trump in Qatar, needs rest, family says
Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
The family of Edan Alexander says the newly freed former hostage will not travel to Qatar to meet US President Donald Trump, but will eventually visit the president in the US.
“His medical condition requires that he rest,” the family says in a statement carried by Channel 12 news. “He will meet with Trump in the US at a later date.”
The channel reports that Alexander will speak with Trump by phone later in the day, according to the family.
Reports yesterday indicated that plans were in the works to have Alexander, a dual Israeli-American citizen, fly to Qatar at the request of Trump, where he would personally thank the president and the Qatari emir for moves that saw Hamas free him from captivity as an apparent goodwill gesture.
Trump, whose plane is about to land in Saudi Arabia, is expected in Qatar on Wednesday.
The Times of Israel Community.