Israel Awaits Return of Hostage Edan Alexander After 584 Days in Hamas Captivity

May 12, 2025: Israel is preparing to welcome home Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier who has spent 584 days in Hamas captivity. His expected release on Monday follows a rare agreement between Hamas and the United States, which is being interpreted as a goodwill gesture toward Washington and a step toward broader negotiations for a ceasefire.

Alexander, who served in the IDF’s elite Golani Brigade, was abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel. He was stationed at the Kissufim military outpost near the Gaza border and remained on duty while others were on leave. A lone soldier with no immediate family in Israel, Alexander’s capture became a powerful symbol in the hostage crisis.

News of his release was personally delivered to his parents, Yael and Adi Alexander, by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on Sunday. Accompanied by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler, the Alexanders flew to Israel to be reunited with their son. Witkoff, who had been in Oman for nuclear talks with Iran, is expected to join them.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the U.S. had informed his government of Hamas’s decision to release Alexander “without any compensation or conditions.” Netanyahu’s office emphasized that while the war will continue, Israel remains committed to recovering all hostages. “Negotiation will take place under fire,” the statement declared.

Preparations to receive Alexander are underway at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital. Boehler hailed the development as “a positive step forward” and called for Hamas to also return the bodies of four other American hostages: Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai, and Judith Weinstein Haggai.

Currently, 59 hostages remain in Gaza. Of those, 24 are believed to still be alive, and 36 presumed dead.

The Hostage Families Forum welcomed the news but cautioned against complacency. In a pointed statement, the group praised decisive action while implicitly criticizing Israeli leadership. “The expected release of Edan shows that a determined leader is committed to his citizens,” it said, while challenging Netanyahu: “Will you choose to make history, to return all of them and allow Israeli society to recover? Or will you continue playing for time at the cost of national unity and the lives of the hostages?”

Hamas has publicly stated its willingness to release all hostages in exchange for an end to the war, a proposal Netanyahu has rejected, warning it would leave Hamas intact and in control of Gaza.

In a joint statement, Qatar and Egypt welcomed Alexander’s impending release, describing it as “an encouraging step” toward renewed negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire, facilitating humanitarian aid, and ultimately ending the war.

The October 7 Hamas assault resulted in at least 1,180 deaths and the abduction of 252 hostages. As of now, efforts to bring home the remaining captives remain ongoing and fraught with political and humanitarian complexity.