US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met with the last living American hostage held in Gaza on Thursday at the White House. Edan Alexander, 21, is an American-Israeli from New Jersey. He was 19 years old and serving as a soldier in the Israeli military when Hamas militants abducted him during the October 7, 2023 assault. He had been deployed in the Israeli infantry when Hamas abducted him from a military base close to the Gaza border.The meeting took place in the Oval Office, where Edan Alexander was accompanied by his mother, Adi Alexander, and father, Yael Alexander, of Tenafly, NJ.On Friday, Trump shared footage from the meeting on his Truth Social platform. “It was my great honor to welcome Edan Alexander, held hostage by Hamas for 584 days, to the Oval Office with his loved ones. We remain committed to bringing every hostage home!” he wrote.Alexander was released from Hamas captivity on May 12, 2025, 584 days after being taken into captivity. After his release, Alexander remained in Israel for several weeks before returning home to New Jersey, where his family resides.In early March, Trump met with eight former hostages who had been freed by Hamas at the White House. The group included Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel, Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher, and Noa Argamani.
