President Trump said on Friday that he had met in the Oval Office with Edan Alexander, a dual American and Israeli citizen who was held hostage in Gaza for nearly 600 days.
Mr. Alexander, who was released in May, was accompanied by his mother, Adi Alexander, and father, Yael Alexander, of Tenafly, N.J. He was welcomed at the White House by Mr. Trump on Thursday, Israeli news media reported.
Mr. Trump posted a video on his Truth Social site showing Mr. Alexander, 21, being greeted in the Oval Office by officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In a video posted on X by one of Mr. Trump’s aides, the president, standing beside the first lady, Melania Trump, tells Mr. Alexander and his parents that it was “very important” to the first lady that Mr. Alexander returned home safely and the fact that Mr. Alexander was American citizen “had a big impact.”
Mr. Alexander, 21, was abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that touched off the war in Gaza. He had been serving in the infantry of the Israeli military when Hamas took him from a military outpost near the border with Gaza.
Mr. Alexander’s family sobbed as they held him after his release in May. His parents had advocated relentlessly for his freedom and had traveled from the United States to Israel with Trump administration officials to bring him home.
“We never lost hope,” Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, told The New York Times in May after his son’s release. “I could not allow myself to think any other way.”
Mr. Alexander, who grew up in Tenafly, was a star swimmer in high school. He was handcuffed, beaten and interrogated during his time in captivity, his father said, and he listened as Israeli bombs shook the tunnels where he was held. He became gaunt without much access to food.
“His whole body has bedbug bites,” his father said in May. “His skin is in terrible condition.”
The year and a half in captivity has left its mark, but Mr. Alexander is recovering, his father said.
“He was this goofy, funny guy,” when he joined the army, Edan’s father said. “He’s still funny. I don’t think he’s a different person. He is simply tired.”
Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Alexander came after the president said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to “conditions to finalize” a 60-day cease-fire with Hamas. He is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel next week in the United States.
Amelia Nierenberg is a breaking news reporter for The Times in London, covering international news.
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