
Trump to meet at White House with Edan Alexander, American hostage freed from Gaza
'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,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Alexander, now 21, is an American-Israeli from New Jersey. The soldier was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military.
Advertisement
3 President Donald Trump walks from the Oval Office before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Washington.
AP
3 Alexander was abducted during the Hamas-led attack on his base on October 7, 2023.
AP
He was released on May 12 by the militant group Hamas after 584 days in captivity. Alexander had been in Israel since he was freed until he traveled last month home to New Jersey, where his family still lives.
Advertisement
He was among 251 people taken hostage by Hamas in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that led to the Israel-Hamas war.
3 Released hostage Edan Alexander arrives at a reception facility in southern Israel, on May 12, 2025.
Xinhua/Shutterstock
Trump in early March met at the White House with a group of eight former hostages who had been released by Hamas: Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher and Noa Argamani.
Thursday's meeting comes ahead of a planned visit on Monday to the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Trump pushes the Israeli government and Hamas to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage agreement and end the war in Gaza.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hill
38 minutes ago
- The Hill
Denmark backs Ukraine's EU membership quest as Zelenskyy meets key European backers
AARHUS, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen vowed Thursday to back Ukraine in its quest to join the European Union, as Denmark officially launched its six-month presidency of the world's biggest trading bloc. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky joined Frederiksen and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the western city of Aarhus, where Denmark is marking the start of its eighth EU presidency since joining in 1973. It comes after the Trump administration decided to halt some arms shipments promised to help Kyiv fight off Russia's invasion. Russia's renewed push to capture more territory has put Ukraine's defenses under severe strain, with the war now in its fourth year. Russian missiles and drones are battering Ukrainian cities. U.S.-led efforts to find a peace settlement have stalled. 'Ukraine belongs in the EU. It is in the interest of both Denmark and Europe. Therefore, the Danish Presidency will do everything we can to help Ukraine on its path towards EU membership,' Frederiksen said in a statement. Ukraine's EU membership path is being blocked by Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insists that the country should remain a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries. Increased military support, cooperation with the Ukrainian defense industry and new sanctions against Russia were also due to be discussed between EU officials and Zelenskyy. 'We must partly strengthen Ukraine. Partly weaken Russia. The first thing we do is increase military support. Ukraine is crucial for Europe's security,' Frederiksen said. 'The second thing we do is sanctions. We must increase the pressure on Russia.' Her government has invested in Ukraine's defense industry — which can produce arms and ammunition more quickly and cheaply than elsewhere in Europe — and has invited Ukrainian companies to set up shop on safer ground in Denmark. Zelenskyy was also scheduled to have an audience with King Frederik X of Denmark.


Hamilton Spectator
42 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Denmark backs Ukraine's EU membership quest as Zelenskyy meets key European backers
AARHUS, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen vowed Thursday to back Ukraine in its quest to join the European Union, as Denmark officially launched its six-month presidency of the world's biggest trading bloc. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky joined Frederiksen and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the western city of Aarhus, where Denmark is marking the start of its eighth EU presidency since joining in 1973. It comes after the Trump administration decided to halt some arms shipments promised to help Kyiv fight off Russia's invasion. Russia's renewed push to capture more territory has put Ukraine's defenses under severe strain, with the war now in its fourth year. Russian missiles and drones are battering Ukrainian cities . U.S.-led efforts to find a peace settlement have stalled. 'Ukraine belongs in the EU. It is in the interest of both Denmark and Europe. Therefore, the Danish Presidency will do everything we can to help Ukraine on its path towards EU membership,' Frederiksen said in a statement. Ukraine's EU membership path is being blocked by Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán insists that the country should remain a buffer zone between Russia and NATO countries. Increased military support, cooperation with the Ukrainian defense industry and new sanctions against Russia were also due to be discussed between EU officials and Zelenskyy. 'We must partly strengthen Ukraine. Partly weaken Russia. The first thing we do is increase military support. Ukraine is crucial for Europe's security,' Frederiksen said. 'The second thing we do is sanctions. We must increase the pressure on Russia.' Her government has invested in Ukraine's defense industry — which can produce arms and ammunition more quickly and cheaply than elsewhere in Europe — and has invited Ukrainian companies to set up shop on safer ground in Denmark. Zelenskyy was also scheduled to have an audience with King Frederik X of Denmark. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Israel fighting 'very tough' war in Gaza, retired British Army colonel says
The world's focus on the Middle East has seemingly shifted back to the Israel-Hamas war following the conflict with Iran that culminated in the historic strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities. For more than 20 months, Israel has operated in Gaza following Hamas' brutal surprise attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been heavily scrutinized over their handling of the war, particularly when it comes to damage to civilian areas and the distribution of humanitarian aid. However, Ret. British Col. Richard Kemp told Fox News Digital that Israel is doing everything it can to avoid civilian casualties whenever possible. Kemp, who recently returned from a trip to Israel and Gaza, said that the war has been "very tough" as Hamas continues to embed itself among the civilian population or in tunnels. "In my view, the IDF have been conducting it very effectively," Kemp said. "They've killed huge numbers of Hamas terrorists. They've destroyed a lot of Hamas' infrastructure, including some of the tunnels, but they've got a long way to go yet. The fight's not over yet." In Kemp's assessment, the fighting in Gaza will continue until Israel defeats Hamas, which becomes a difficult task for an army actively avoiding civilian casualties, something the former British officer said he witnessed "personally." Kemp also told Fox News Digital that civilian deaths in Gaza are "unavoidable" because of how Hamas operates. He argued that this is part of the terror group's "primary objective," which he says is "to get the IDF to kill as many civilians as possible so they can achieve what they have achieved, which is the vilification of Israel, the isolation of Israel, and the condemnation of Israel — the accusations of war crimes and genocide — none of which are true." He commended the IDF, saying that Israeli forces have "done a quite extraordinary job that no other army probably could do of maximizing the destruction of Hamas while minimizing the deaths of civilians." While on the ground in Gaza, Kemp had the opportunity to speak with civilians and visit aid distribution sites run by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). He said the civilians who spoke with him were grateful for the aid and recognized the role the U.S., under President Donald Trump, has played. At the same time, they hold Hamas responsible for putting them in "the terrible situation they're in now." When asked about the criticism GHF has faced from the international community — particularly the United Nations — Kemp said that the organization is working in a way that is "uniquely suitable" for the situation in Gaza. He argued that the U.N. is attempting to apply a "standard template solution," which does not work for Gaza, as evidenced by the amount of aid stolen by Hamas. "Some of them told me it was the first time since the war began, 20 months ago, that they have actually received any free aid at all," Kemp told Fox News Digital. He said that in some instances, Hamas would steal aid and sell the goods at premium prices that many civilians could not afford. Kemp emphasized the need for other nations and major humanitarian organizations to support the GHF and noted the recent $30 million in funding the organization had received from the U.S. "No other country that I know of has directly contributed funding to the GHF, and they should do so because the GHF, not the U.N., is the future of aid deliveries into Gaza," Kemp told Fox News Digital. He also acknowledged that the U.N. has a role to play, but added that it must be "in the interest of the people of Gaza, not bureaucracy."