Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, 21, is set to be released from Gaza captivity, Hamas said on Sunday, which was later confirmed by the Prime Minister's Office and US President Donald Trump.
Alexander grew up in New Jersey and made aliyah at the age of 18 to serve in the IDF, enlisting in the Golani Brigade.
He was on base on October 7, 2023, after he volunteered to stay on base and was kidnapped to Gaza from the Gaza border area.
Alexander told his mother, Yael, who was visiting the country for the holiday of Sukkot, "If I don’t go, someone else will have to stay there," his grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, told Walla.
"He was so considerate and went back to the base," she added.
After he was kidnapped, “Life came to a halt and changed completely. The house is no longer the same. Nothing matters anymore except bringing our loved ones home safe and sound," Ben Baruch said.In March, recently released hostages conveyed a sign of life from Alexander, revealing the conditions under which he was being held in captivity in a Channel 12 report. According to the report, Alexander was being held in tunnels under harsh conditions.
In April, shortly before Passover, Hamas published a propaganda video of Alexander. Hamas later said it was unaware of Alexander's fate after having previously said it had lost contact with the group holding him.
His father, Adi, called on the US to hold direct talks with Hamas to achieve the release of his son.
'Nobody forgot about you'
"I think we should engage back with them directly and see what can be done in regards to my son, four American dead hostages and everybody else," he said.
If he could speak to his son, he would tell him, "Just believe. You know, nobody forgot about you. Definitely not your parents, and everybody is fighting for your release on the highest level in the States and I believe also in Israel."
Amichai Stein and Reuters contributed to this report.