U.S.-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander’s mother Yael on Tuesday revealed new details of his ordeals as a captive of Hamas in Gaza.
“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,” his mother said from Ichilov Hospital, where her son is recovering after his release on Monday. He is expected to stay at the hospital for four days.
Edan, 21, was freed by Hamas after 584 days in captivity. He was 19 when he was captured while serving on the Israeli border as part of the Israel Defense Forces’ Golani Brigade.
Among the torments he endured was the collapse of a tunnel in which he was being held. He only narrowly managed to escape. He lived on beans, rice and pita bread. During ceasefires, his fare improved considerably and included beef and lamb, Channel 12 reported.
His hands were cuffed for a time, and he had a sack on his head. He suffered from flea bites and bruises all over his body. At the start of his captivity, he was severely tortured and beaten. Some of his wounds from that period are still visible.
He was held by senior Hamas officials, who updated him on developments in the war. They also gave him details about Oct. 7. They called him an “asset” because of his American citizenship. They also referred to him as “the American.”
He saw his family members interviewed on television. Only on the morning of his release did his captors tell him that he was being let go. They had done this before so he didn’t believe them until the last minute, he said.
“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,” his mother said.
“Every minute was a battle between hope and despair,” she said.
She thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), intelligence personnel and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
On Monday, Edan spoke with Trump by phone, during the U.S. leader’s visit to the Middle East. He told the president that his situation in captivity improved markedly after his election. Trump told Edan that he was now a bigger celebrity than himself.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who came to see Edan, gave him a Star of David chain that belonged to his son, who died of a drug overdose in 2011.
דרך הטלפון של וויטקוף: עידן אלכסנדר מדבר עם טראמפ מבית החולים איכילוב pic.twitter.com/UhdQ3cCmrp
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) May 13, 2025
Edan also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Monday: “Edan, it is so good to hear from you. We are overjoyed. Your mother and father are overjoyed, as are the people of Israel. I want you to know this. This is simply a wonderful moment. How do you feel?’
Edan said, “This is crazy. It’s unbelievable. I’m fine; weak, but we will slowly return to what we were before. It’s all a matter of time.”
Netanyahu told Witkoff, “You have one brave Israeli soldier there, who is also a champion of America and Israel together. And we’re very, very happy and very grateful for the help that you and President Trump gave us.”
Witkoff said, “Mr. Prime Minister, I’ve told Edan and his family everything that you have done to make this possible over the last several days. It was a tense negotiation and it was critical. How you were, how you allowed the negotiations to operate, and that’s in large part the reason that Edan is home with his family today.”
Israeli politicians of all stripes thanked Trump for his efforts.
Knesset Member Sharon Nir of the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party told JNS on Monday: “I want to thank the U.S. administration and President Trump for their efforts to secure the return of the hostages, and I welcome the release of Edan Alexander. The people of Israel are expecting the return of all 58 remaining hostages who have been suffering in Hamas captivity for 584 days.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz of the Likud Party also thanked the president and his administration. “We are committed to acting in every way until all the hostages, our brothers and sisters, the living and the fallen alike, return to our land,” he said.
