Edan Alexander released from Hamas captivity, returns to Israel

Alexander’s parents confirmed that he may travel to Qatar for a meeting with Trump, who is scheduled to visit the Gulf nation this week as part of a Middle East tour.

By JNS

Israel Defense Forces soldier and dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, 21, was freed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Monday after 584 days in captivity.

“The returning hostage is currently being accompanied by IDF special forces on his return to Israeli territory,” the military said in a statement.

“The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostage as he makes his way home to the State of Israel,” it added, urging the public to respect the privacy of the family.

The military subsequently announced that the military convoy “crossed the border into the territory of the State of Israel” and had made its way to the initial reception point near the Jewish state’s southern border.

The handover reportedly took place in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, carried out by Hamas’s “Shadow Unit.”

Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that Alexander was able to walk on his own “with a little help from the Red Cross” during the handover ceremony. An Israeli official told the broadcaster that his physical condition was “poor.”

Edan Alexander is in a Red Cross vehicle and on his way to Israel pic.twitter.com/kf9e2Llpy0

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) May 12, 2025

Alexander, a native of New Jersey, was taken during the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which Palestinian terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and abducted 251.

After being transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross by Hamas, Alexander was set to be brought to IDF special forces inside Gaza, and from there to the Re’im military base in Israeli territory.

At the IDF facility near Re’im, he will receive an initial physical exam and a mental exam, then meet with members of his family who traveled to Israel from the United States for the occasion.

He will then be airlifted by military helicopter to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital).

Alexander’s parents confirmed that he may travel to Qatar for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to visit the Gulf nation this week as part of a Middle East tour. However, the family emphasized that the trip would depend on their son’s medical condition.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said earlier on Monday that Jerusalem had not committed to “any ceasefire or the release of terrorists, only to a safe corridor that will allow for Edan’s release.”

However, some IDF forces in Gaza were reportedly ordered to hold fire during Alexander’s release to allow his safe passage. The army was also said to have paused intelligence-gathering operations in Gaza.

Alexander, believed to have been the last living American citizen held in the Strip, is the first male IDF soldier taken on Oct. 7 to be freed.

Following Alexander’s release, 58 abductees remain captive in Gaza, according to official Israeli military figures, including the remains of four deceased Americans.

Jerusalem believes that up to 23 hostages are still alive, with heavy question marks over the fate of one Israeli and two foreign nationals.

‘A massive effort’

Hamas’s announcement on Sunday night that it would free Alexander came following talks with the Trump administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

The terrorist group said his release was “part of the steps being taken to achieve a truce, open the [border] crossings, and allow aid and relief to reach our people in Gaza.”

Trump wrote on his Truth Social site on Monday morning, in all caps: “Edan Alexander, American hostage thought dead, to be released by Hamas. Great news!”

Ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, which came after the Jewish state’s security services returned the body of an IDF soldier who had been missing since the First Lebanon War in 1982, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to return all hostages and missing people.

“It isn’t just lip service; it’s a massive effort by all Israeli security and intelligence agencies,” the premier declared in his remarks.

Netanyahu met with Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee ahead of Alexander’s release on Monday night. The Israeli prime minister then spoke with Trump, whom he thanked for the development.

Trump reiterated his commitment to Israel and desire to continue close cooperation with the prime minister, according to a readout published by the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.

In his meeting with Witkoff and Huckabee, Netanyahu discussed a last-ditch effort to implement a final draft agreement for the release of the remaining hostages before the IDF steps up its offensive in the Strip.

The premier instructed that a delegation be sent to Doha on Tuesday. Netanyahu stressed that the fighting would continue during the talks.

Edan AlexanderGazahostageIDF