At a vigil in Tenafly on Wednesday night, the family of Edan Alexander pleaded for the release of their son. The 19-year-old is being held hostage by Hamas along with more than 200 other Israeli and American Jews.
Alexander, who was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in New Jersey, was serving with the Israel Defense Forces near the Gaza Strip when Hamas carried out its unprecedented assault on Oct. 7.
Several hundred people turned out to support the Tenafly High School graduate and his family at an event put on by the Israeli-American Council of New Jersey. Alexander’s parents and siblings spoke about his resilience and sense of humor. The family said they’ve been told he’s alive and being held in Gaza but have no other information.
“Me and Edan we only had three years apart from us. And we were getting really close over the years … It just feels like my best friend was taken away from me…” said Mika Alexander, Edan’s sister.
So far, Hamas has released four hostages and the Israeli army rescued one hostage in a special operation.
On Thursday, the White House said Israel has agreed to pause military operations in parts of northern Gaza for four-hour periods each day, to allow Palestinians to flee south and receive aid.
