It’s been nearly 80 days since crowds came together for a hostage release in Tel Aviv’s Hostage’s Square. Back on February 22, six hostages from Hamas captivity got a second chance at life, while the families of the remaining 59 hostages were left with no answers as to when their loved ones were coming home next.
But days of little movement and frustrations, although hopeful there could one day be a change, a breakthrough to get the last living American hostage out of Gaza came to fruition. Hundreds of people gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostage’s Square on Monday for hours throughout the day, as the release of 21-year-old American-Israeli Edan Alexander was delayed for hours. Nonetheless, the spirit and excitement of his release after surviving nearly 590 days of captivity filled the square the moment he was released from Hamas captivity and transferred into the hands of the Red Cross.
For hours, one group of young men stood side by side in the square waiting for the big moment. Their large posters of Alexander were held high in the air, and once word got out he was in the hands of the Red Cross and on his way to IDF special forces, their soft smiles soon filled their faces from ear to ear.
“We’re so excited. Right now, I don’t have a lot of words to say,” said Alexander’s childhood friend Tomer Clayman. “I want to see pictures of him, in our [IDF] hands. This is a very big day. We’ve been waiting.”
'He’s a big hero and we’re proud of him'
The group says they grew up with Alexander and went to elementary and middle school with him. Sunday night’s sudden news that he was coming home came as a complete surprise, as their biggest wish was about to finally come true. They said they rushed to call their friends and family and immediately turned on the news to see if it was really happening. For months, they’ve thought about what they would say to him when they would see him for the first time.
“I knew it would happen, but every day that passed, we became more skeptical. It was hard to believe,” said Idan Hirsch. “We love you. We missed you. He’s a big hero and we’re proud of him.”
Mixed emotions filled the square: tears streamed down the faces of supporters, large embraces, and cheers erupted when the first image of Alexander emerged and was seen on the large livestream screen. Alive, standing up tall, but sandwiched in between Hamas terrorists and a Red Cross representative, Alexander was less than an hour away from reuniting with his family at Re’im military base. As one American family will finally be whole again, four more other American families are waiting for their chance for closure.
“It is conceivable to me, as a father, that you wake up in the morning and a kid disappears on you,” said Ruby Chen, the father of Itay Chen, an American-Israeli citizen who was killed in battle on October 7 with his body dragged into Gaza, according to the IDF.
“The Jewish tradition, what we say, is that the soul is something that evolves over and over again, and the body is the vessel that keeps the soul, and in order for the soul to move on, it needs to rest in peace.”
One day before Alexander’s return home, a group of 50 bipartisan members of the US House of Representatives released a bi-partisan letter addressing President Donald Trump to prioritize the release of the 5 Americans, who were still in Hamas captivity. Congressmen Michael Lawler, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, and George Latimer were just some of the representatives to sign the letter. At this time, the bodies of four American hostages remain, after Alexander was released out of pressure by the US government on Hamas.
“Here we see one part of the vision becoming a reality with Edan coming out,” said Chen. “We hope that it’s not a one-off, but part of a bigger progress, where we will see many hostages come out, including the last hostage, which is what all the families want to know.”
Chen said with the current momentum building with the release of Alexander, he hopes the Israeli government takes advantage of what the Trump administration was able to start during this time of the war and get the remaining 58 hostages out of captivity.
“If we would be able to have the Prime Minister understand the magnitude of the moment, understanding that this will be in the history of the Jewish people, books will be written on this, and the question is, will the Prime Minister be able to step up and understand that?”, asked Chen. “We just need to hope that he listens to the majority of the people here in Israel.”
With mixed emotions, yet overall happiness for Alexander’s release, the families of other hostages also appeared in the square. As the crowd grew, the parents of remaining hostages Matan Zangauker, Jonathan Samerano, and Nimrod Cohen among others made statements thanking US President Donald Trump and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff for their efforts to bring hostages home, and condemning what they called a lack of effort from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring home the kidnapped.
“For me, and the other families of the 59 hostages, it was just another day of heartbreak. I’m happy for the Alexander family, happy for Yael, his mother. But President Trump, please don’t stop,” she said. “Don’t leave us alone. Whatever is necessary, do it. The other 58 hostages don’t have time. They could be killed any day, and their bodies lost forever. They must all come home,” said Ayelet Samerano, the mother of Jonathan Samerano whose body is still in Gaza.
Yehuda Cohen, the father of abducted soldier Nimrod Cohen, echoed the sentiments thanking Trump and Witkoff, and quickly condemned Netanyahu’s lack of clear efforts. He noted that Trump and his team must continue their efforts; “My son, a soldier, is still alive—still struggling in the tunnels. He served on the same base as Edan Alexander… Begin with the American citizens, but don’t stop there. Bring them all home!”
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is betraying us. He is prolonging the war on the blood of Israeli civilians and soldiers for his own political survival. He lies to you like he lies to us. Only a permanent ceasefire and a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza will bring about a deal that releases all the hostages,” Cohen stated.