Yael Alexander, mother of released hostage Edan Alexander, shared details of her son's captivity in Gaza from Ichilov Hospital on Tuesday.
"Our hearts broke as Edan began to share the unimaginable hardship, the daily fear — just to survive the night. The hunger, the lack of water, the horrific sanitary conditions," she said.
Edan Alexander was released from Hamas captivity on Monday, on his 584th day in Gaza.
"The most terrifying sound of all — the one Edan feared most — was the sound of the war raging above their heads: deafening explosions, the whistling of rockets, sounds of collapse, crumbling, and the trembling earth. Every moment could have been the last."
"Every day that passed felt like an eternity," Yael Alexander said.
While Edan Alexander was in captivity
"Every minute was a battle between hope and despair. The moment I embraced my Edani for the first time, after 584 days, was the moment time stood still. My heartbeat returned in sync with his. I could breathe again when I felt him in my arms. My family became whole once more," Alexander continued.
"Our Edani, my hero, you survived hell and came back from it. But what about the hostages who still hear those same horrifying sounds? What about the terror they live with every moment? The hell you lived through is still their reality. My heart beats again, but until they return — they will know no rest.
Yael Alexander concluded by thanking US President Donald Trump and his administration for working "day and night to bring all the hostages home." She also thanked the IDF, Shin Bet, intelligence personnel, and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, calling them "the quiet heroes of us all."
Edan Alexander's father, Adi Alexander, also spoke and reiterated similar sentiments.
Neither of them thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Edan Alexander's release.
Dr. Itay Gal contributed to this report.