Edan Alexander says he’s returning to the IDF
The freed hostage grew up in Tenafly
Just months after former hostage Edan Alexander of Tenafly was freed after having spent 584 days in Hamas captivity, the Golani Brigade soldier has announced he will return to service.
“Next month, God willing, I will return to Israel. I will once again put on the IDF uniform, and I will proudly serve alongside my brothers,” Alexander said at a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces event in Manhattan last Wednesday night. “My story does not end with survival — it continues with service.”
His announcement at the FIDF gala marked his first public statements since the Trump administration negotiated his release in May. In July, he and his parents, Yael and Adi Alexander, met with the president ins the Oval Office.
Idan Alexander, 21, who was born in Tel Aviv but moved to the United States when he was a baby and grew up in Tenafly, joined the IDF after he graduated from Tenafly High School. He was captured while serving near the Gaza border on October 7, 2023, during Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel.
Mr. Alexander was the last U.S. citizen held hostage by Hamas who released alive. There are now 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza. Twenty of them are presumed still to be alive.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Mr. Alexander also called for the release of the remaining hostages. “Their nightmare continues,” he said. “Their families still wait. We cannot forget them. We cannot stop until they are all home.”
Mr. Alexander’s appearance at the gala comes amid turmoil for the fundraising group, which recently has drawn internal allegations of financial mismanagement, cronyism, and a toxic workplace culture. Two top leaders recently resigned from the FIDF, which says it has raised $306 million to support Israeli soldiers since October 7. The fundraiser in New York added “millions” to that total, the group announced.
At least one other Israeli soldier taken hostage on October 7 has returned to service. Ori Megidish, who was rescued by Israeli forces three weeks after her abduction, rejoined the military several months later and was assigned to an intelligence unit.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
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