Jerusalem The mother of the American-Israeli hostageEdan Alexander told NBC News that seeing her son in a propaganda video released by Hamas made her feel both relieved and shaken.
In a video conversation on Saturday, Yael Alexander stated, “It’s a huge relief for me to see that he’s still strong, it was amazing.” Hours later, the video with the comment, “Time is running out,” was shared on the Qassam Brigades’ Telegram channel, which is the military arm of Hamas.
Edan, who volunteered to join Israel’s military, was born and raised in New Jersey. He was stationed outside of Gaza when, according to Israeli estimates, he was one of about 250 hostages captured during the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror strikes, which also claimed 1,200 lives. A third are thought to be dead, while about 100 individuals are still in captivity.
The 20-year-old, who is seen in the Hamas video under duress, urges President-elect Donald Trump to use his influence to negotiate the release of those still held captive in Gaza.
“I don’t want to end up like fellow American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg Polin, who was killed while being held by Hamas in August,” Edan, who at times can be seen crying and covering his face with his hands, says.
Yael remarked, “I’m still shaking,” after witnessing him sobbing while speaking. In this video, he shed a lot of tears. She went on to say that it was quite difficult to witness Edan in this state.
Yael claimed that shortly after the video’s release, she had a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
She added, “He told me that he’s with us, he’s embracing us,” and that he had promised to do everything in his power to negotiate the release of the other captives.
In a statement following the call, Netanyahu’s office said that he understood the suffering that Edan and the hostages were going through and reassured them that Israel was doing everything in its power to bring them and all other hostages held by the enemy back to their homes.
However, there have been few indications of progress in negotiations to secure the release of the remaining hostages or an end to fighting with Hamas in Gaza, where local health officials say that over 44,000 people have been killed in 14 months of war, despite the appearance of a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s militant group, Hezbollah.
In an attempt to negotiate an agreement with Israel that would guarantee the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees, Hamas leaders met with Egyptian security authorities.
The trip was the first since the US declared on Wednesday that it will resume attempts to negotiate a truce in Gaza in coordination with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the battle would only stop when Hamas is destroyed, Hamas is looking for an agreement that will put an end to the conflict.
In a statement, Sean Savett, a spokesman for the American National Security Council, said the organization had been in contact with the family and described the video as a brutal reminder of Hamas’ terror against residents of several nations.
Yael reiterated her son’s call for Trump to take immediate action and cooperate with President Joe Bidento to obtain the hostages’ release.
“Neither Democrats nor Republicans have a problem with this,” she stated. Everyone must take action on this matter since it involves human life and seven Americans who must return home.
Freddie Clayton reported from London, and Hala Gorani from Jerusalem.
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