The father of Hamas hostage Edan Alexander on Saturday called for direct talks with the terrorist group for the release of his son and others.
“I think we should engage back with them directly and see what can be done in regards to my son, four American dead hostages and everybody else,” Adi Alexander told Reuters in an interview. “It seems like the negotiations are stalled, everything is stuck and we are kind of back to a year ago. It’s really concerning.”
Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and Israel Defense Forces soldier, was abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which Hamas-led terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and abducted another 251.
Though Hamas had previously signaled a willingness to release Alexander and the remains of four other American hostages, the group now claims it cannot confirm his status, citing the reported death of the guard who had been holding him, Reuters reported.
Hamas recently released an undated video purporting to show Edan. Adi Alexander described the footage as deeply distressing. “He looked very scary to us—just a horrible, horrible video.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night pledged to continue the war against Hamas until all objectives are met, rejecting recent ceasefire proposals that he said would leave the terror group in power in Gaza.
Israel would not accept Hamas’s demands, which include full IDF withdrawal, a ceasefire and reconstruction funding that would allow the group to rearm, he said.
“If we surrender to Hamas’s diktat, we would send a message to all our enemies that kidnapping Israelis leads to victory,” he warned. “Such a surrender would be a strategic defeat for Israel and a huge win for Iran.”
Israel has participated in several rounds of indirect talks with Hamas, through Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Hamas and other terrorist groups are still holding 59 hostages in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment on Alexander’s status but reiterated its demand for Hamas to immediately release all hostages, stating the group “bears sole responsibility for the war, and for the resumption of hostilities.”
Edan, who grew up in New Jersey, is described by his father as “an all-American kid, great athlete ... such a loving, loving boy,” who was simply in “the wrong place, wrong time.”
Asked what he would say to his son, Adi responded: “Just believe. You know, nobody forgot about you. Definitely not your parents, and everybody is fighting for your release on the highest level in the States and I believe also in Israel.”
