On Motzoei Shabbos, the first night of Pesach, Hamas released a propaganda video featuring proof that hostage soldier Edan Alexander is still alive.
The video, which runs for about three minutes, does not include a specific date, but Alexander mentions that he has been in captivity for 551 days—suggesting it was recorded recently.
Alexander, a 21-year-old American citizen, was serving as a lone soldier near the Gaza border when Hamas launched its deadly assault on October 7, 2023. During that attack, he was kidnapped along with around 250 others. The onslaught resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people, the majority of them civilians, and triggered Israel’s ongoing military operation against Hamas in Gaza.
This is the second time Hamas has released footage of Alexander. The first video emerged in November, showing him for the first time since his capture.
Hamas has produced similar videos of other hostages in its custody, which Israel has condemned as a cruel tactic aimed at psychological manipulation.
In response to the latest video, Alexander’s family asked the Israeli media not to air the footage itself but permitted the release of a single still image.
“As we begin the holiday evening in the USA, our family in Israel is preparing to sit around the Seder table,” the family shared in a message disseminated through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. “Our Edan, a lone soldier who immigrated to Israel and enlisted in the Golani Brigade to defend the country and its citizens, is still being held captive by Hamas.”
“So when you sit down to mark Passover, remember that this is not a holiday of freedom as long as Edan and the other 58 hostages are not home.”
Alexander was born in Tel Aviv but raised in Tenafly, New Jersey. After finishing high school in 2022, he returned to Israel and enlisted in the IDF.
Following the release of the video, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached out to Alexander’s parents, Yael and Adi, to offer support.
“The prime minister told the family he empathizes with their pain and updated that currently tremendous efforts are taking place to return Edan and the rest of the hostages,” read a statement from Netanyahu’s office.
This new footage was made public after recent American attempts to negotiate Alexander’s release came up short. These efforts included both behind-the-scenes talks through intermediaries and direct engagement with Hamas, but they did not lead to a breakthrough. With talks stalled, Israel resumed military operations in Gaza, ending a period of calm that followed the January agreement that saw some hostages freed.
Reports of the direct U.S. dialogue with Hamas upset Israeli officials. The details of those communications leaked on the same day President Donald Trump addressed Congress. According to The New York Times, the administration had hoped to finalize a deal for Alexander’s release before Trump’s high-profile speech.
{Matzav.com}