ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – After 15 months of being held hostage by Hamas, the family of New Jersey Native 21-year-old Edan Alexander told Alaska’s News Source they are waiting to see what happens after part of the Israel and Hamas ceasefire deal includes releasing dozens of hostages.
“Here we are, 464 days after,” Alexander said during a Zoom interview. “It’s really exciting news. It’s long time coming. We finally there.”
The first phase of the deal calls for reuniting 33 of the nearly 100 hostages with their loved ones after months in captivity with no contact with the outside world, though it’s unclear if all are alive.
While phase one of the deal only includes female civilians and soldiers, children, and civilians over 50 years old — Alexander said his family is closely watching phase two.
At 42 days, phase two currently calls for Hamas to free remaining male hostages — including soldiers and civilians — in exchange for a yet-to-be-negotiated number of Palestinian prisoners and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
“It needs to happen between, I would guess, between now and 42 days from now, the way this ceasefire was structured,” Alexander said as he described the autopilot feeling he and his family have experienced since Oct. 7, 2023.
His son, who he described as a “great Jersey boy,” was 19 years old when he was taken hostage by Hamas while serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
Alexander told Alaska’s News Source that although the news is exciting, he is unable to think about the reunion yet.
“The story is not over. A lot of things can go wrong in the process. So, we have to sit tight and see how that’s going,” Alexander said.
Alexander said he wants people to remember to push forward and remain hopeful as he and others stay put, for the long-awaited reunion.
Phase three of the agreement currently includes the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages exchanged for the bodies of deceased Palestinian fighters.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.
