Hostage Edan Alexander Community ahead of Hamas release
A crowd gathered with Israeli flags in Edan Alexander’s hometown, anticipating the release of the 21-year-old Captive.
The last living Israeli-American hostage held in Gaza passed to Israel on Monday, May 12th, after being detained in Hamas for more than 500 days.
According to Reuters, Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli Defense Force member, was released by Hamas in a pause in the battle in Gaza.
Hamas released Alexander as a goodwill gesture to President Donald Trump visiting the area this week, saying it is seen as a stepping stone to a potential ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
“This was a step taken in sincerity by the United States to end this extremely brutal war, to return all living hostages and to remain their loved ones, and to end the work of Qatar and Egypt.”
This release coincides with reports from the global hanger monitor organization warning people in the Gaza Strip that are facing hunger. The integrated food security stage classification (IPC) reported on Monday that half a million people were at risk by September taking a serious risk of hunger.
Who is Edan Alexander?
The double Israeli-American Alexander grew up in New Jersey, joined the Israeli Defence Forces, attending a high school in a town just north of England before joining the Israeli Defence Forces.
He was born in Tel Aviv to Israeli parents Adi and Yael, but the family moved to the United States in 2008 when they first settled in Maryland before settling in Tenafrie, New Jersey. According to a report from Northjersey.com, part of the USA Today Network, he traveled to Israel to visit his grandparents, where he celebrated the mitzvah of his bar.
Alexander moved to Israel to join the Israeli army after high school. He was captured after the military when he saw Hamas militants entered southern Israel on the morning of the attack on October 7, 2023. The attack killed around 1,200 people, and extremists captured Alexander and around 250 others to hold hostages.
How many hostages are there still in Gaza?
There are around 59 hostages in Gaza, Reuters reported, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, May 7 that 21 is believed to be alive. The rest of the original 250 hostages were released, rescued or recovered.
The extremist group is believed to hold the bodies of four Israeli-Americans, Israeli Chen, Omer Nutra, Judith Weinstein and her husband Gadi Haggai, as previously reported by USA Today.
According to Reuters, Al Jazeera’s television will display photos of Alexander standing next to a masked fighter jet and Red Cross official at Monday’s release, and he is expected to be received in captivity at Ichirov Hospital in Tel Aviv for treatment 19 months later.
Contribution: Reuters, Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her kapalmer@usatoday.com And with x @Kathrynplmr.
