Edan Alexander, freed Hamas hostage from NJ, will meet with Trump at White House
Alexander, 21, believed to have been the last living American hostage in Gaza, will meet with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on July 3, the White House said. The meeting is expected to take place around noon.
'The President and First Lady have met with many released hostages from Gaza, and they greatly look forward to meeting Edan Alexander and his family in the Oval Office tomorrow," Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said in a statement Wednesday.
Alexander was among 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. Held captive for 19 months, he was released on May 12 and returned home to New Jersey to a hero's welcome two weeks ago. Hundreds of residents from Tenafly and surrounding towns lined the streets with flags and banners, cheering as he rode through town in a motorcade.
Alexander was raised in Bergen County and, after graduating from Tenafly High School, went to Israel, where his parents grew up. He volunteered for the Israeli military and was stationed at a post near Gaza when he was abducted. He was 19 at the time.
The other freed Hamas hostages who have met with Trump — including Omer Shem Tov, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher and Noa Argamani — thanked him for his efforts on their behalf and pleaded for the release of the remaining captives in Gaza.
Alexander is expected to do the same.
More: What's next for Edan Alexander? NJ hostage is free, but trauma lingers for Hamas captives
There are believed to be roughly 50 hostages or their remains still in Gaza; more than half are believed to be deceased.
When Alexander was released, Hamas officials described it as a goodwill gesture toward Trump. In a phone conversation from an Israeli hospital after he was freed, the former hostage told the president, "You're the only reason I'm here. You saved my life."
Trump told Alexander he was looking forward to meeting the whole family and that it would be "the biggest celebration."
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