Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli soldier with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship who grew up in Bergen County, has been released after more than 19 months in captivity in the Gaza Strip, officials confirmed on Monday.
Alexander was the last known surviving American citizen taken hostage by Hamas during the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
He had been serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and was stationed at a small military outpost near the Gaza border when he was abducted.
A graduate of Tenafly High School, Alexander joined the Garin Tzabar program during his senior year, a track that prepares international volunteers for military service in Israel. He moved to Israel after graduation and was assigned to the infantry.
His release was announced in a joint statement from Hamas and confirmed by an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Hamas said it released Alexander as part of broader efforts to restart ceasefire negotiations with Israel, in consultation with the United States.
“The ball is now in the American and Israeli court,” said a Hamas official. “We gave the Americans what they asked for. They need to get the other side to give things too.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement Monday crediting U.S. diplomacy and ongoing military pressure in Gaza for Alexander’s release.
The statement emphasized that Israel had made no concessions in return.
Alexander’s release comes amid renewed efforts by international mediators — including the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt — to revive stalled negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
Both sides have traded blame for the breakdown of an earlier ceasefire agreement in March. That deal had previously resulted in the release of 38 hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Alexander’s friend and fellow dual-national soldier, Omer Neutra, 21, who served as an IDF tank platoon commander, was killed during the attack on October 7, 2023.
The U.S. government says it believes the bodies of four other Americans still being held in Gaza are deceased.
The group handed Alexander to the Red Cross on Monday, and he returned to Israeli soil shortly later, ahead of a medical assessment and a long-awaited reunion with his family. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said he has spoken with his mother, Yael, over the phone.
Alexander’s release comes one day before President Donald Trump begins a Middle East tour, with stops planned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
In Gaza, Hamas representatives said Alexander’s release was intended as a gesture of goodwill to demonstrate it’s willingness to engage in dialogue with the U.S. and to pressure Israel toward a ceasefire.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate amid Israel’s ongoing blockade and military operations.
Aid organizations report widespread shortages of food and medicine. Estimates vary from 55,000 to 360,000 for the number of Palestinians who have been killed in Israeli strikes since the war began.
Israel said 1,200 people were killed in the initial Hamas-led attack, with around 250 taken hostage.
Alexander’s release marks a rare moment of progress in a conflict that has otherwise remained intractable.
As of Monday, nearly two dozen hostages are believed to be alive in Gaza, including a student, a software tester, a bartender, and several soldiers.
Of the 12 Americans taken hostage in Gaza, five are dead and seven have been released.
The remaining hostages, all men, were set to be released under a planned second phase of the ceasefire agreement that began in January but negotiations had not concluded when Israel resumed its attacks on Gaza on March 18, sparking condemnation from dozens of freed hostages and relatives of those still held captive.
Families of the hostages were torn between joy at the release of Alexander from captivity in the Gaza Strip and anxiety over the continued plight of their own loved ones still held by terror groups in the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli government was also widely panned for being sidelined in the talks to secure Alexander’s release.
Alexander’s parents flew to Israel with U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler on Sunday night in order to arrive in time for their son’s release.
A statement on behalf of the New Jersey family said that they are in constant contact with the US government and that “no hostage should be left behind.”
“Today, on Mother’s Day, we received the greatest gift imaginable — news that our beautiful son Edan is returning home after 583 days in captivity in Gaza,” said a statement the family released expressing their joy. “We express our deepest gratitude to President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the U.S. administration for their tireless work to make this happen.”
Witkoff is a New York real estate billionaire who serves as another of Trump’s envoys in Middle East peace talks and to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Back in Tenafly, residents and local officials expressed cautious relief.
“We’re grateful Edan is safe and hope his return will help bring momentum to secure the release of the remaining hostages,” said a spokesperson for the Bergen County executive’s office.
A sign in front of Tenafly High School, from which the Israeli soldier graduated three years ago, has a single demand on its display: “Bring Edan Home Now.”
Alexander has not yet made a public statement. He is currently in Israel receiving medical and psychological support following his prolonged captivity.
“I am happy to announce that Edan Alexander, an American citizen who has been held hostage since October 2023, is coming home to his family,” said Trump’s social media post. “This was a step taken in good faith toward the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.”