After 584 days in Hamas captivity, lone soldier Edan Alexander is back in Israel
New Jersey-raised dual citizen was kidnapped from his base near the Gaza border community of Nirim, known as the White House post, during the October 7 onslaught
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Edan Alexander was released on May 12, 2025, as a “goodwill gesture” by Hamas to President Donald Trump. This is the story of initial reports of Alexander’s capture:
Edan Alexander, now 21, of the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion was stationed near the Gaza Strip on the morning of October 7 when he was taken captive by Hamas terrorists who launched an attack, killing, assaulting and kidnapping.
Alexander was born in Tel Aviv, grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, and joined Golani as a lone soldier after graduating from high school in 2022.
On the morning of October 7, he spoke to his mother, Yael Alexander, who was visiting Israel at the time. She called when the rockets began falling that morning, and Edan told her he was safe. That was just after 6:30 a.m.
“I texted him again and again and again and nothing came through,” Yael Alexander said in an interview with CNN.
By 7 a.m., she could no longer reach Edan and a week later, the family was informed that Edan was taken hostage to Gaza.
Yael Alexander said she and her husband were surprised when Edan told them he wanted to join the army as a lone soldier, instead of going on to college with the rest of his Tenafly friends.
Mika Alexander, his 17-year-old sister, called Edan “my best friend.”
The Times of Israel Community.