US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander freed from Hamas captivity, reunites with family
Following indirect talks with US, terror group releases 21-year-old in overture as Trump to start Mideast trip; hostage families torn between elation, concern for remaining captives
American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander reunited with his parents in Israel on Monday, after being released by Hamas in a gesture of goodwill to the United States, as President Donald Trump was set to embark on a visit to the Middle East.
Alexander, the last living hostage with American citizenship, was freed following indirect talks between the US and Hamas. The negotiations sidelined Israeli officials, who were updated only after the deal was struck.
After arriving in Israel, the 21-year-old lone soldier embraced his teary-eyed parents, Yael and Adi, and his siblings, at an army facility near the Gaza border community of Re’im, following 584 days in Hamas captivity.
“Look how massive this kid is!” Alexander shouted, as he hugged his little brother.
Hamas handed Alexander over to Red Cross officials in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis at around 6 p.m., without staging a propaganda ceremony, as was typical of the terror group in past hostage releases.
In the first photo taken after his release, Alexander was seen standing unassisted while flanked by a Red Cross worker and three armed, masked Hamas terrorists. He was dressed in a baseball cap and black Adidas t-shirt, as opposed to the mock army uniforms other hostage soldiers were made to wear.
Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander reunites with his family at an IDF base near Re’im, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
According to Channel 12 News, a Red Cross official said Alexander’s “physical condition was poor, but he is smiling,” and that he required assistance getting into the car.
Alexander told soldiers who received him in the Strip that Hamas subjected him to harsh torture for weeks on end and kept him in a cage over a long period of time with his hands and feet bound, the Kan public broadcaster reported.
He was apparently held in a Hamas tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, alongside other hostages.
Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander meets with IDF troops in the Gaza Strip, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
Once in the hands of the Red Cross, he was handed over to IDF special forces stationed in the enclave, who brought him back over the border to a facility at the Re’im base in Israel, where his parents anxiously awaited him.
Alexander’s mother flew with relatives from the US to Israel with American hostage envoy Adam Boehler, leaving on Sunday night in order to arrive in time for her son’s release. His father arrived separately on Monday evening.
Accompanying his family Monday evening were US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostage point-man Gal Hirsch. Waiting at the base, Edan’s mother Yael Alexander elatedly spoke by phone with her son, once he was released by Hamas.
“You’re out, my love, you’re out!” she exclaimed in a video shared by the Prime Minister’s Office. “You are strong. You are safe. You are home. We’ll see each other soon. I love you.”
On his way to the hospital by helicopter from the Re’im base, Alexander posed for a photo while holding a sign that read: “Thank you President Trump! The people of Israel live! Let’s go Golani 51,” referring to his army battalion.
Alexander, a dual citizen who grew up in New Jersey, was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade at the time of his abduction. Hamas kidnapped him from his base near the Gaza border community of Nirim, known as the White House post, during its October 7 onslaught.
Hamas took 19 male soldiers hostage — not all of them on duty — and seven female surveillance soldiers, the latter of whom have all since been returned to Israel. Five were released in a deal with Hamas, one was rescued, and the body of one was recovered by troops.
‘Beacon of hope’
In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum rejoiced over Alexander’s release, but noted the hostages who remain in Hamas captivity.
“Edan’s release is a beacon of light and hope, but also a stark reminder that 58 men and women remain captive in Gaza. We must not leave a single hostage behind,” the statement read. “The return of all hostages is our generation’s most urgent and critical mission.”
Hamas and other terror groups are holding 58 hostages, 35 of whom have been confirmed dead — 32 Israelis, and three foreigners.
While Israel’s official estimate of the number of living hostages stands at 23, Netanyahu announced last week that there was grave doubt about the fates of three hostages — Israeli Tamir Nimrodi, Bipin Joshi, and Pinta Nattapong, from Nepal and Thailand, respectively.
Asked at a press conference whether Monday’s release marked a step toward a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Trump said that “we hope that we’re going to have other hostages released.”
Doha talks
In light of Alexander’s release and after speaking with Trump, Netanyahu announced Monday that he would send a delegation to Doha on Tuesday to try to negotiate another temporary hostage release and ceasefire deal.
Netanyahu discussed in an earlier meeting with Witkoff and Huckabee “the recent effort to implement the hostage release framework presented by Witkoff,” ahead of the IDF’s potential expanded ground campaign in Gaza, his office said in a statement.
“To that end, the prime minister instructed that a negotiation delegation be sent to Doha tomorrow,” his office continued, clarifying that “the negotiations will take place only under fire,” with the military campaign against Hamas ongoing.
Netanyahu later Monday evening claimed in a video that Alexander’s return was “achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump,” calling it “a winning combination.”
Non-American hostages ‘worth less’
Though delighted by Alexander’s release, some of the families of hostages who do not hold US citizenship expressed unease about the remaining hostages’ fates, as Washington’s endgame regarding a comprehensive deal remains unclear.
Kibbutz Nir Oz said it was “deeply moved” by the release of Edan Alexander, calling his return “a bright light in the darkness we find ourselves in,” but made the caveat that it felt as though the lives of hostages without US citizenship “are worth less.”
“A hostage with an American passport is given priority, while the other 58 hostages are left behind — 14 of whom are members of the Nir Oz community — and the fear for their fate is greater than ever,” the kibbutz statement asserted.
“It is hard to ignore the difficult message that the citizens of the State of Israel are receiving today, and which is being conveyed to the entire world: our lives are worth less,” it said.
Jacob Magid and Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.