Freed US Hostage Was Seized When He Was 19

Tenafly, New Jersey, is celebrating the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage held by Hamas. Alexander, who was born in Israel and grew up in New Jersey, was 19 when he was seized in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and is now 21. Hundreds of supporters gathered in his hometown, Tenafly, on Monday as he was released in what was described as a gesture of goodwill toward President Trump's administration. There were also huge celebrations in Tel Aviv, where members of his extended family gathered.

• Background. Alexander's family moved to the US when he was a baby and settled in Tenafly, a New York City suburb with a large Jewish community, in 2008, reports NorthJersey.com. Family members say they were surprised when he decided to join the Israeli military after he graduated from Tenafly High School in 2022. His father, Adi Alexander, says his son, an "all-American kid," had no obligation to serve in the Israel Defense Forces but wanted to help the country.

• Capture. Alexander was seized from a small military outpost near the border with Gaza in the Oct. 7 attack, the New York Times reports. An Israeli American friend of his, Omer Neutra, was serving at the same post. Authorities incorrectly said in December that the 21-year-old was killed in the attack and Hamas had been holding his body. Alexander, who was shown in a Hamas propaganda video, was held by the militants for 584 days.
• Release. Israeli authorities say Alexander was turned over to the Red Cross without a ceremony Tuesday, then transferred to Israeli forces, the Times of Israel reports. He was taken to a facility near the border to meet family members and undergo medical checks.
• A 'beacon of light and hope.' "Edan's release is a beacon of light and hope, and it is also a reminder that 58 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza," said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group established by the families of those seized in the attacks. "No hostage can be left behind. Unless all of them return, there will be no Israeli victory." Only around 23 hostages are believed to still be alive. The Washington Post reports that Hamas is still holding the bodies of Neutra and three other American citizens: Itay Chen, Gadi Haggai, and Judi Weinstein Haggai.

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)