American Israeli hostage Edan Alexander is seen in a Hamas propaganda video. (X Screenshot)
Five hostages with American citizenship are still held in Gaza, with only one of them believed to still be alive.
By World Israel News Staff
The Trump administration engaged in unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, with President Donald Trump stressing that they must release all the hostages or “it will be all over” for the terror group.
Trump appears to be particularly focused on securing the release of five hostages with both American and Israeli citizenship who remain in Hamas captivity.
Here is a closer look at the American nationals still held in the Strip, more than 16 months after the Hamas terror onslaught on October 7, 2023.
Raised in New Jersey, Edan Alexander is the sole American hostage believed to still be alive. Alexander, an active-duty soldier in the Golani Brigade, was kidnapped from his army base adjacent to the Gaza Strip. He was last seen in a November 2024 Hamas propaganda video.
Omer Neutra, an Israeli soldier from Long Island, New York, was kidnapped from his tank. His family was initially informed that he was kidnapped alive, but forensic analysis later revealed that he was killed on October 7th. His parents, Ronen and Orna, spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024, calling for the release of the hostages.
Holding both American and Canadian citizenship, New York native Judith (Judi) Weinstein-Haggai immigrated to Israel decades ago. She was murdered alongside her Israeli-born husband, Gadi Haggai, as they went for a Saturday morning walk in their kibbutz, Nir Oz. Their bodies were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.
Born in Israel to a father originally from New York, IDF soldier Itai Chen was kidnapped from a tank during the October 7th attacks. Chen was originally said to be missing in action, but the authorities later told his family that he was killed during the onslaught. Chen also held German citizenship via his Israeli-born mother, Chagit.
In February, Sagui Dekel-Chen, an Israeli with American citizenship through his Connecticut-born father, and Keith Siegel, an American who immigrated to Israel in the 1870s, were released from captivity as part of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal.
According to a statement from former secretary of defense Lloyd Austin, more than 40 people with American citizenship were murdered on October 7th.
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