JERUSALEM (AP) 鈥 Edan Alexander was 19 when Hamas militants stormed the Israeli military base where the American-Israeli from New Jersey was a soldier and dragged him into the Gaza Strip.
Hamas released Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, on Monday ahead of this week. The militant group called it a goodwill gesture aimed at reviving mediated efforts to end the 19-month war.
Alexander was among 251 people taken hostage in . Fifty-eight remain in Gaza. Around a third are believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
After Hamas announced on Sunday he would be released, Alexander’s family said it 鈥渞eceived the greatest gift imaginable 鈥 news that our beautiful son Edan is returning home after 583 days in captivity in Gaza.鈥
Alexander鈥檚 parents flew to Israel on Monday. Trump鈥檚 hostage negotiator, Adam Boehler, posted a picture on social media showing Alexander’s mother, Yael, aboard the flight.
A native of Tenafly, a suburb of New York City, Edan Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after high school and enlisted in the military. Hamas militants seized him from his military base after he volunteered to stay there over the Jewish Sabbath.
In a video Hamas released of Alexander over Thanksgiving weekend in November 2024, he cried and pleaded for help. Though the video was difficult to watch, his family said, it came as a relief to see he was alive.
Hostages freed since then have given the family more news, his father said. Some said Alexander had lost a lot of weight. Others said he鈥檇 been an advocate for fellow hostages, standing up for captive and telling their captors that the workers weren’t involved in the conflict and should be freed.
Alexander, like other male soldiers held in Gaza, was not included among hostages released during a ceasefire earlier this year. Hamas released in January and February in return for The sight of some emaciated hostages among those freed brought fresh despair to families whose loved ones remained in Gaza.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, along with the release of more Palestinian prisoners. Israel has rejected those terms, saying it will continue the war until all the hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated.
Hamas said in March it would release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to the stalled ceasefire agreement. Alexander鈥檚 father, Adi, said at the time he was speaking with Trump鈥檚 hostage negotiators almost daily, pressing for his son’s release.
Days later, Israel shattered the truce with a surprise bombardment . Israel called the renewed bombardment a tactic to pressure Hamas to negotiate different ceasefire terms. Hamas said the offensive puts remaining hostages at risk.
In April, Hamas published another video of Alexander in which he spoke from a dark room. His family believes he has been held in Hamas’ vast tunnel network.
Days later, Hamas said it had lost contact with the militants holding Alexander after an Israeli airstrike targeted their location. Israeli officials have not commented on the claim.
The Alexander family Monday urged the Israeli government to continue efforts to free all the hostages 鈥 a plea that other families have echoed since the Hamas announcement on Sunday.
鈥淧lease don鈥檛 stop,” Alexander’s family said. “We hope our son鈥檚 release begins negotiations for all 58 remaining hostages, ending this nightmare for them and their families.鈥
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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv contributed.
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