Former Hamas hostage Edan Alexander returns to New Jersey after 585 days

Almost 600 days after being removed by Hamas during the October 7 massacre, Edan Alexander returned home to New Jersey on Thursday for a deeply emotional return. Hundreds of residents bordered the streets soaked in rain in his hometown of Tenafly, waving American and Israeli flags and holding hand -made signs, eager to welcome him again.

Alexander, 21, was seen with a smile and waving the passenger seat of a black SUV while he was slowly rolling in the resident city of 50,000, flanked by a police procession and acclaimed supporters.

This undated photo published by the Ottages and Disappeared Families Forum shows the Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, who was abducted and brought to Gaza on October 7, 2023. (Family and families forum disappeared via AP)

“Our community has prayed for him – 585 days,” said Rabbi Mordechai Shain, the longtime rabbi of the family. There was a walk every week to go home. It was as if we had experienced it. “”

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Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Alexander moved to Israel at 18 to volunteer for the military service in the Golani de Tsahal brigade. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv and Kibbutz Hazor, where he was part of a group of lonely soldiers.

Alexander served in the defense forces of Israel when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during his deadly assault on the south of Israel at the age of 19.

In May, he was released after more than 19 months in captivity, in what was described as a gesture of good will following quiet negotiations between American officials and Hamas. The envoy of the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the special envoy hostage Adam Boehler, played a key role in securing its exit.

Rabbi Shain, who has known Alexander since the age of two, said that Edan was known for his quiet kindness. “Even when he was a little boy, it was he who helped without anyone knew,” recalls the rabbi, noting that Edan had taken the quarter of a friend on October 7, so that the other soldier could go home – an act that led to his capture.

American Storm Edan Alexander released by Hamas after more than 580 days in captivity

“As a person and family, he just wants to go back to life and continue,” said the rabbi. “It’s a process. It will take time to heal because we don’t even know how much torture he has gone through. He didn’t tell us.”

During his stay in captivity, the Jewish community of Tenafly organized weekly prayers, steps and even celebrated Edan’s birthday in his absence. “More than 800 people came to his Hanukka birthday celebration,” said the rabbi. “We wanted him to know that we had not forgotten.”

Alexander should stay in New Jersey for the moment when he focuses on his recovery. He would only have weighed 121 pounds on his release and would have undergone injuries in hand.

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