Freed hostage Edan Alexander was handcuffed, kept in a cage and tortured

An Israeli official reported Alexander’s physical condition as “poor.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Edan Alexander, the last surviving American hostage who was freed on Monday, was confined to a cage, handcuffed and tortured, Kan News reports.

The IDF soldier was confined for extended periods and interrogated by his Hamas captors for weeks in the period following the October 7th massacre.

Alexander was given very little food and was held without regular sunlight exposure.

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

After Hamas transferred Alexander to the International Committee of the Red Cross, he was taken by IDF special forces inside Gaza and from there to the Re’im military base.

At the IDF facility near Re’im, Alexander was given a physical and mental exam before meeting with family members who traveled from the US to Israel to greet him.

A military helicopter will bring him to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital).

Alexander’s parents confirmed that, depending on his physical condition, he may travel to Qatar during his Middle East visit to meet with US President Donald Trump.

IDF forces stopped most military operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday in preparation for Alexander’s return.

The release, scheduled for a few days before Trump’s Mideast visit, was seen as a goodwill gesture. It was accomplished without a parallel release of Palestinian prisoners as in previous deals.

The IDF reportedly stopped drone flights over the Gaza Strip and halted ground operations in much of the coastal enclave to facilitate Alexander’s release.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement Monday morning emphasizing that Israel has “not committed to a ceasefire of any kind or the release of terrorists” but is merely limiting military activities to facilitate a “safe corridor that will allow for the release of Edan.”