Edan Alexander, the last Israeli hostage freed from Hamas captivity, said Thursday he plans to rejoin the IDF just four months after his release.
Speaking at a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) event in the U.S., Alexander, 21, said he will return to Israel next month and put on his uniform again. "I will once again put on the IDF uniform and I will proudly serve alongside my brothers," he told the audience to a standing ovation. "My story does not end with survival, it continues with service," he said, ending with the words “until victory” in Hebrew.
Hamas captivity survivor Edan Alexander speaks out for the first time
(Video: FIDF)
Alexander, who was released in May after 584 days in captivity, recounted his abduction on Oct. 7, 2023. “On that day, I fought alongside my brothers in arms against Hamas, and after I was taken, I fought every single day to survive in captivity — in the tunnels, in the darkness. I was held for 584 days. Those were the hardest days of my life — days of struggle, pain and separation from my family. But tonight, I'm standing here free.”
His release was brokered directly between the United States and Hamas, without Israeli involvement. In his remarks, Alexander thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration for securing his freedom, pointedly omitting the Israeli government. “Without their work I would not be here with you tonight,” he said, also thanking his parents, brother and sister for “never giving up on me.”
Alexander praised the IDF as “one of the greatest honors of my life” and expressed solidarity with soldiers still fighting and families of the fallen. But he stressed that 48 hostages remain in Hamas captivity. “While I am free, many others are still in captivity. Their nightmares continue, their families still wait. We cannot forget them. We cannot stop until they're all home,” he told the audience.
The dual U.S.-Israeli citizen grew up in New Jersey before moving to Israel at 18 to volunteer for service in the Golani Brigade. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv and at Kibbutz Hazor, which hosted his soldier’s program.
Alexander meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office
(Video: from social media)
On the morning of the Hamas attack, Alexander could have taken leave from base to be with his visiting mother, but he chose to stay so fellow soldiers would not bear the full burden of guard duty. During the assault, he called her to say shrapnel had struck his helmet but he was unharmed — before he was captured.
Alexander described harrowing months in captivity. He survived an Israeli airstrike that partially collapsed a tunnel where he was held, leaving him with shoulder and hand injuries.
He was frequently moved between tunnels, homes, mosques and tents, sometimes disguised in civilian clothes and even forced to drive a donkey cart to avoid suspicion. At times, he was held alongside senior Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar and members of his family — a move Israel believes was designed both to use him as a human shield and to avoid accidental killing of an American citizen in strikes.