Speaking at the military’s hostages and missing persons headquarters during the release of hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vows that the army will continue to work for the release of the remaining captives held by Hamas.

Family getting up: Friday (5/16/25)Morning R’ Avraham Chaim WeissSon

Cheers erupt as the convoy transporting Edan Alexander arrives in Israel.

Despite intensive Israeli military operations in Gaza, Hamas continues to rebuild and expand its subterranean terror infrastructure, Israeli defense officials said Sunday. According to a report by Kan Reshet Bet, the IDF has so far destroyed only about 25% of Hamas’s known tunnel network. The sprawling system of underground passages—used by Hamas to ambush troops, smuggle weapons, and conceal movements—remains a persistent threat to Israeli forces operating in the Strip. Military officials have voiced growing concern over the terror group’s ability to repair damaged tunnels and dig new ones, even under sustained IDF pressure. Hamas operatives reportedly rely on the tunnels to plant explosives, fire anti-tank missiles, and then retreat to safety underground, avoiding direct combat.

American-Israeli captive Edan Alexander has been safely retrieved by Israeli forces operating within Gaza, the IDF announced Monday.
The military noted that Alexander “is currently being accompanied by IDF special forces on his return to Israeli territory, where he will undergo an initial medical assessment and meet with his family.”
In an official message, the IDF stated, “The commanders and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces salute and embrace the returning hostage as he makes his way home to the State of Israel. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit asks everyone to respect the privacy of the returning hostage and his family.”

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Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier and the last known living U.S. citizen held hostage in Gaza, was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by Hamas on Monday. The handover took place in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, and Alexander is now en route to Israeli territory. The release, the first since the collapse of a ceasefire in March, has sparked hope for renewed negotiations to free the remaining 58 hostages still held in Gaza. Hamas announced late Sunday that it had agreed to release Alexander following direct talks with the U.S. administration, facilitated by mediators Qatar and Egypt.

Edan Alexander’s mother, Yael, brought a Golani flag and hat to welcome Edan at the Re’im facility. With Edan finally freed from captivity, this is the first time in over a decade that the IDF’s Golani Brigade will not have any members held hostage in Gaza.

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