Hamas released its last living American hostage Monday, after he spent more than 580 days in captivity inside the Gaza Strip.
Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old who holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship, was received by a specialized unit of the Israel Defense Forces. He was taken to an initial reception center in Re’im, where he was set for preliminary medical and mental health assessments by the personnel from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Medical Corps, as reported by an Israeli official to Fox News.
“This is an incredibly moving moment — Edan Alexander is back at home with us. We warmly welcome him back, along with his family,” stated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This success was due to our military efforts combined with diplomatic pressure from President Trump. This strategy has proven effective.”
Then President-elect Donald Trump was shown photographs of Edan Alexander by his mother Yael Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on October 7, 2024, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Raised in Tenafly, Alexander moved to Israel at 18 to volunteer for military service in the IDF’s Golani Brigade. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv and at Kibbutz Hazor, where he was part of a group of lone soldiers.
He was kidnapped on the morning of October 7 – a Saturday when he wasn’t required to remain on base. His mother was visiting from abroad, and like many lone soldiers he had the option to go home for the weekend. He chose to stay, not wanting to leave his fellow soldiers short-staffed on guard duty.
Ayelet Samerano, the mother of hostage Yonatan Samerano, said Monday that the previous day was Mother’s Day, and how “[a]round the world, mothers celebrated with their children.”
People gather in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, ahead of Israeli-American Edan Alexander’s expected release on May 12, 2025. (Alan Gilboa/Hostages & Missing Families Forum)
“But for me – and the other mothers of the 59 hostages – it was just another day of nightmare. Yes, I am happy for the Alexander family. They will finally have their son Edan back. I thank President Trump and Steve Witkoff for this progress,” she added. “But President Trump – please don’t stop. This is only the first step. Do whatever is necessary to bring every last one home. The other 58 hostages have no time left. They are in hell. The living could be killed any day. The deceased – their bodies could be lost forever. They must all come home.”
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
