For the first time since the release Monday from Gaza of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander’s by the militant group Hamas, his family spoke publicly about what their emotional reunion was like, and what their son went through.
In a news conference Tuesday from the hospital in Tel Aviv where her son is recovering, Yael Alexander said the moment she embraced him “time stood still,” adding, “My heartbeat returned in sync with his.”
However, she also shared that during his more than 580 days in captivity, “Every minute was a battle between hope and despair.”
She said the reunion was also met with the pain of learning that her son faced “daily fear, hunger, the lack of water and appalling sanitary conditions.”
While being held in underground tunnels, Edan Alexander heard deafening explosions, the whistles of missiles, and felt the earth shaking, she said.
Alexanders call for the release of the remaining hostages
At the news conference, Yael Alexander said it was important to bring home the remaining hostages. The extended Alexander family held up photos of those still being held captive.
Yael and her husband, Adi Alexander, thanked President Trump, who Edan Alexander spoke with by phone on Monday. Neither of them thanked Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however.
“Soon, Edan will be home in the United States, in New Jersey, watching his little brother play basketball, reuniting with his friends in New Jersey. He’s 21 now, and those happy kinds may include a beer, too, but we will never forget the first beer he had on the rooftop of this very building since his release,” Adi Alexander said.
Edan Alexander takes to social media for first time
Edan Alexander on Tuesday created his first Instagram post of that moment, titling it, “Home sweet home.”
He was wearing a Star of David, a necklace given to him by Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East. It belonged to Witkoff’s late son, Andrew.
Witkoff’s son, Alex, posted on X that Edan is “a true warrior and the necklace is a powerful reminder of his strength, survival, and pride in his Jewish heritage.”
It is unclear when Alexander will return to the U.S.
Alexander grew up in New Jersey before moving to Israel. He was serving in the Israeli military on Oct. 7, 2023, when he was abducted during Hamas’ assault on Israel.