(LONDON) — American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, who had been held captive by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, was released on Monday after successful negotiations between the U.S. and the terrorist organization, the IDF said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross transferred Alexander from Gaza to Israeli authorities, the organization said.
Alexander, 21, got to speak to his mother, Yael, by phone for the first time when he was in the Israel Defense Forces convoy, an Israeli official told ABC News.
“You are strong, you are protected, you are home,” Yael told him over the phone, according to a video released by the Israeli prime minister’s office. “We will meet soon. Love you.”
Alexander, 21, has since arrived at a reception point in southern Israel for his first medical assessment and to be reunited with his family, the IDF said. Other family members are waiting for him at the hospital, the IDF said.
Israeli security officials told ABC News there would be a temporary pause in combat, airstrikes and aerial reconnaissance in the area of Gaza where Alexander was to be released. The pause was expected to last until Alexander crossed into Israeli territory, officials said.
Alexander, a New Jersey native, moved to Israel at the age of 18. He was serving in the IDF when captured from his base close to the Gaza frontier during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. He was 19 when abducted and has had two birthdays while in captivity.
Alexander was the last living American citizen still believed to be held hostage by Hamas. The terror group is believed to also be holding the bodies of four dead American hostages, according to U.S. officials.
Alexander’s supporters have gathered in Tel Aviv and in Tenafly, New Jersey, to celebrate his release.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video message called Alexander’s release “a very moving moment.”
Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump, crediting Alexander’s release to Israel’s “military pressure and the political pressure exerted by President Trump.”
Netanyahu said Trump told him on Monday, “I am committed to Israel. I am committed to continuing to work with you in close cooperation — to achieve all of our war goals: to release all the hostages, and to defeat Hamas.”
Trump, who’s hosted Alexander’s parents at the White House multiples times, said Monday before his release, “They thought he was dead just a short while ago. His parents are so happy.”
“He’s coming home to his parents, which is really great news,” Trump said.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Alexander’s release “is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also celebrated his release, saying in a statement, “With every day that Edan has been held hostage, the Alexander family has endured unimaginable pain, uncertainty, and fear. With Edan’s return home, their — and our — prayers have finally been answered.”
“We continue praying for Edan and the Alexander family,” the governor said, adding, “We are also praying for the safety and well-being of every remaining hostage and innocent family in Israel, Gaza, and the entire Middle East.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement through his spokesperson welcomed Alexander’s freedom and renewed “his urgent call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
He also said “aid is not negotiable” and called for “all parties to immediately ensure the rapid, unhindered and safe humanitarian relief” be transferred to “all civilians in need.”
Hamas announced its intention to free Alexander on Sunday, describing the decision as a “part of the steps being taken to achieve a ceasefire.”
The statement said Hamas had been in contact with American officials “over the past few days” as part of ceasefire negotiations.
A U.S. official familiar with the deal to release Alexander told ABC News that the agreement came together in recent days via direct talks between the U.S. and Hamas.
Alexander’s release is being viewed as a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration and a potential opening to jumpstart talks surrounding the broader conflict, U.S. officials told ABC News.
Still, officials said the U.S. did not secure all the concessions it was seeking. Negotiators had also been pushing Hamas for the release of the remains of the four dead American hostages still held in Gaza, officials said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement that “Edan’s release is a ray of light and hope, but also a stark reminder” of the remaining hostages still being held.
The hostage families also issued a statement addressing Netanyahu directly, urging him to “announce tonight that you are ready to negotiate a comprehensive agreement to bring home all 58 hostages and establish a framework for ending the war.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement promised Israel is “committed to acting in every way until all the abductees, our brothers and sisters, both living and dead, return to their homeland.”
Fifty-seven hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 who are believed to be alive.
Alexander was one of the 253 hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which some 1,200 people were also killed, according to Israel.
Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza had killed 52,829 people and wounded 119,554 more as of Sunday, according to figures released by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in the strip.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro, Shannon K. Kingston and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
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