U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander released after over 19 months in captivity

Hamas on Monday released Edan Alexander, 21, an American soldier in the Israeli military, after 584 days in captivity. Alexander is thought to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas. Alexander on Monday afternoon arrived at an Israeli military base near the border town of Re’im to reunite with family and receive a physical and mental health check, The Times of Israel reported.

Alexander was born in Tel Aviv, but raised in New Jersey. In Alexander’s hometown of Tenafly, hundreds gathered in a park on Monday to watch live news of his release. The crowd broke into cheers on seeing him turned over to the Red Cross, local news reported.

Alexander was held in lightless tunnels and handcuffed for long periods of time, he said, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan. Alexander also said he was tortured, kept in a cage, and often deprived of food, the outlet reported.

Bring Them Home Now, an advocacy group founded by families and friends of hostages, said it hoped his release would kick off a new agreement to free the 58 remaining hostages, many of whom are believed dead.

Why did Hamas release Alexander? The terrorist group set him free as a gesture of good faith toward the United States and the mediators—Qatar and Egypt—who are working to broker a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, U.S. President Donald Trump said.

U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Monday said rumors that Trump negotiated the release without Israeli involvement were false.

How did the Israeli government respond? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for assisting in Alexander’s release. He said Israeli military pressure on Hamas coupled with U.S. diplomacy made the release possible, in a video shared by The Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu also met on Monday with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Huckabee to discuss Witkoff’s last-ditch plan to secure all hostages’ release before Israel expands operations in Gaza, the prime minister’s office said. To that end, an Israeli negotiations team will leave for Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, the prime minister’s office said.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the new U.S.-led plan for humanitarian aid to Gaza.