The last living Israeli-American hostage held in Gaza crossed into Israel on Monday, May 12, after being held by Hamas for over 500 days.
Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old and member of the Israel Defense Forces, was released by Hamas amid a pause in fighting in Gaza, according to Reuters.
Hamas said it was freeing Alexander as a goodwill gesture to U.S. President Donald Trump, who is visiting the region this week, and is seen as a stepping stone to a potential ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
“This was a step taken in good faith towards 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,” Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, on May 11.
Dig deeper: Hamas frees US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, as Israel says no ceasefire
People celebrate on the day Edan Alexander is expected to be released from captivity by Hamas in Gaza, in Alexander’s hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, U.S., May 12, 2025.
The release coincides with reports from a global hunger monitor organization warning people in the Gaza strip face starvation. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on Monday that half a million people are at risk, with a critical risk of famine by September.
Who is Edan Alexander?
Alexander, a dual Israeli-American, grew up in New Jersey and moved to Israel to join the Israel Defense Forces after attending high school in a town just north of Englewood.
He was born to Israeli parents, Adi and Yael, in Tel Aviv, but the family moved to the U.S. when he was a baby, first to Maryland, before settling in Tenafly, New Jersey in 2008. Alexander graduated in 2022 from Tenafly High, where he was active in sports leagues and competed for the local swim team. He often traveled to Israel to visit his grandparents and celebrated his bar mitzvah there, according to reporting by NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Alexander moved to Israel after high school to join the Israeli Army. He was captured from a military post the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack led by Hamas, which saw Hamas militants enter into southern Israel. The attack left about 1,200 people dead, and militants captured Alexander and some 250 others to hold hostage.
‘Greatest gift’: Family of NJ’s Edan Alexander heads to Israel as Hamas agrees to release
How many hostages remain in Gaza?
Relatives and supporters hold placards bearing portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks by Hamas in southern Israel, during a rally calling for their release, in Tel Aviv on December 30, 2023. The placards (C) show Edan Alexander.
There are about 59 remaining hostages in Gaza, Reuters has reported, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, May 7, that 21 are believed to be alive, a number that may have included Alexander. The rest of the original 250 hostages have either been released, rescued or had their bodies recovered.
The militant group is also thought to be holding the bodies of four Israeli-Americans: Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Judith Weinstein, and her husband, Gadi Haggai, as USA TODAY previously reported.
Al Jazeera television showed a photograph of Alexander standing next to masked fighters and a Red Cross official upon his release Monday, according to Reuters, and he is expected to be received at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for treatment after 19 months in captivity.
Contributing: Reuters, Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Edan Alexander? What to know about US-Israeli hostage
