“I'm coming home”: Edan Alexander, last US hostage, to be freed by Hamas

The Israel Defense Forces are preparing to receive Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander, an Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas in Gaza for more than a year and a half, following confirmation of his imminent release.

After 580 days in Hamas captivity, the entire country and the Jewish world is holding its breath. Edan Alexander, the last known American Israeli hostage, is expected to be released today in what Israeli officials are calling a unilateral gesture by Hamas.

Born in New Jersey and a proud lone soldier, 20-year-old Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was captured during the October 7 massacre. Today, after over a year and a half in Gaza, he is finally coming home.

According to Israeli security sources, the handover is scheduled to take place later today, though no official time has been disclosed. The operation is being coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross and will take place in a designated humanitarian corridor along the Israel Gaza border.

Alexander will be transferred from Hamas custody directly to Israeli forces in the buffer zone. From there, he will be taken to the IDF’s Re’im base in southern Israel for medical evaluation and an emotional reunion with his family. US government officials will also be present for the moment.

His mother, Yael Alexander, who has spent months as a leading voice in the hostage release movement, is currently en route to Israel. She is accompanied by Donald Trump’s former Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler. American envoy Steve Witkoff is also expected to land shortly at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of Edan's arrival.

Yael, whose voice trembled with a mix of hope and anguish just days ago during a rally in Tel Aviv, had vowed not to leave her son behind. “I will bring him back,” she said. Today, that promise appears to be fulfilled.

Despite the significance of the release, Israeli officials have stated that it is not part of a formal ceasefire. “Israel is not obligated to a temporary ceasefire as part of the agreement,” a senior official told Kan News. “Therefore, there will be no official declaration of one.”

This marks the first known case of a long term hostage being released by Hamas since the war began in October 2023. While Israeli authorities are cautiously optimistic, they are also quick to emphasize that over 130 hostages remain unaccounted for.