Edan Alexander released from Hamas captivity in Gaza
After 584 days in captivity, he is the first male soldier in the Israel Defense Forces freed since being taken in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
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 Yunis 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.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that the government in Jerusalem “embraces IDF Staff-Sgt. Edan Alexander, who has been returned from being held hostage by Hamas.”
“Together with all elements of the security establishment, the Israeli government will assist in his readjustment and will accompany him and his family,” the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office continued.
“The Israeli government is committed to the return of all of the hostages and missing, living and deceased. We will continue to act relentlessly until all of them have returned home,” the PMO stated, citing Psalms 31:16: “Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and pursuers.”
“This is a very emotional moment,” Netanyahu added. “We embrace him and we embrace his family. This was achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure exerted by President Trump.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “I wholeheartedly welcome the return of IDF soldier Edan Alexander and share in this emotional moment, along with the entire State of Israel as we witness his reunion with his loving family, who worked tirelessly day and night for his return home.”
“I thank the president of the United States and the U.S administration for their efforts and assistance in securing his release. We are committed to doing everything possible until all the hostages—our brothers and sisters, both the living and the fallen—are brought back,” Katz stated.
