Hostage Edan Alexander's parents share the joy of a long-awaited reunion

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Edan Alexander reunites with household

Parents of Edan Alexander talk retired aft his merchandise from Gaza captivity 03:09

Tel Aviv — American-Israeli Edan Alexander was among the archetypal Israeli captives taken into Gaza during the Hamas-orchestrated Oct. 7, 2023, violent attack. One week ago, helium was reunited with his household successful a woody brokered by the Trump medication and led by the White House's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Alexander and his household person credited the Trump squad with redeeming his life, and successful a sit-down interrogation with CBS News, the young soldier's parents told elder overseas analogous Debora Patta astir the singular infinitesimal they learned Edan would beryllium released, and the moments they've cherished since.

Edan Alexander spent 584 days successful Hamas captivity. After a fig of mendacious starts and mendacious anticipation for his release, erstwhile the telephone yet did travel from the highest levels of the U.S. government, his begetter missed it — 8 times.

"So, we were each astatine location successful Jersey aft the Mother's Day brunch that we had," recalled his mother, Yael.

"I was blowing retired immoderate leaves," said his father, Adi. When helium enactment down the leafage blower, helium realized helium had "missed 8 telephone calls from Steve Witkoff."

When Adi yet got successful interaction with the elder White House envoy, "he told america successful 10 minutes from now, Hamas volition beryllium announcing astir your son's merchandise tomorrow."

"I thanked him. Non-stop; 'Thank you, Steve! Thank you truthful much,'" Yael recalled saying down the telephone line. "It's the happiest Mother's Day ever!"

"We were like, yelling, similar brainsick with the kids," she said. As Yael, Adi and their 2 different children watched the television, the announcement came that Edan would beryllium released the pursuing day, conscionable arsenic Witkoff had promised. "And we were like, okay, we request to pack! We request to... Get to Israel!"

Finally, the reunion they'd dreamt of for much than a twelvemonth and a fractional was taking shape.

Adi booked a formation immediately. Yael had already booked 1 for aboriginal that aforesaid day, successful a sheer changeable of luck, readying to spell and beryllium with household successful Israel close aft marking Mother's Day.

Neither of the parents got overmuch remainder connected their flights to Israel.

"I couldn't slumber the full flight," Yael told CBS News. "Like, you're alert ... I couldn't beryllium even, you know? I was similar successful afloat adrenaline, like, ready, to beryllium determination and to get Edan back, you know?"

As soon arsenic they touched down, they were whisked distant to an Israeli subject base, wherever Edan soon arrived aft being handed implicit by Hamas.

Released Israeli-American worker Edan Alexander reunites with his household

"Definitely I gave him like, the biggest hug ever," said his mother. "When I came to him, I came successful afloat power! We astir fell, due to the fact that helium was weak, and helium was precise excited, similar helium was standing, similar shivering, you know, because, wow, it's unbelievable — and I'm screaming, and I americium like, you know, holding him. It was — wow."

The parents said Edan remains weak, but doctors cleared him for merchandise from the infirmary wherever he's been treated. He's inactive getting aesculapian attraction for immoderate insignificant injuries sustained during the Oct. 7 violent attack, which his ma and dada said, "nobody took attraction of successful those tunnels."

Even getting his state backmost was a harrowing ordeal.

"The time of merchandise was a precise engaged time for him," begetter Adi told CBS News. "It took forever. They moved astir and crawled under, and it was a precise pugnacious time connected him. He didn't slumber the full nighttime earlier that, due to the fact that helium was excited, helium didn't sleep. He was like, super, ace tired, truthful it took like, astir 2 days aft for him to decompress from the time of the release."

Since then, Edan has fixed them immoderate details astir his captivity, but they aren't pushing him.

"He talks a batch astir it, but nary rush. We're not asking. If you privation to accidental something, you say, and we're not pushing," said his father. "He went done a batch of stuff."

"He's conscionable blessed to beryllium home, you know, conscionable to beryllium with Mika and Roy [his siblings] and conscionable to bent retired and conscionable beryllium with america and ticker TV yesterday," his parents said.

During his agelong captivity, Edan saw his parents connected the news, pleading for his release.

"I deliberation the information that helium saw us, saw america moving and warring and knocking connected each door, kept him hopeful," said his father, on with "the information that helium was held with different hostages each together, and not by himself, kept him hopeful. And he's conscionable a beardown kid, you know, beardown mentally and physically."

Hamas has held galore of its hostages successful tunnels nether the Gaza Strip, with many, including Alexander, saying they ne'er saw daylight astatine all.

"I'm truthful pale," his parent recalled him saying. "I look similar a vampire!"

Israel has stepped up its war successful Gaza, wherever the Hamas-run Ministry of Health says much than 53,000 radical person present been killed since the warring began, including much than 500 successful the past week alone.

Families of the hostages — 58 of whom are still believed to beryllium held successful Gaza, including astir 20 thought by Israeli officials to beryllium live — person taken to the streets regularly, decrying the renewed violative arsenic putting their loved ones astatine adjacent greater risk.

"Edan told us, truthful erstwhile they heard the bombing, it was very, precise concerning, scary," said Adi. "And astatine immoderate point, 1 of the tunnels collapsed."

"He told america sometimes helium was acrophobic to spell to sleep. Because possibly they are going to weaponry this spot that helium is specifically inside," added the father. "It was precise scary."

Now backmost unneurotic arsenic a family, their thoughts are inactive precise overmuch with the different hostages.

"We are inactive continuing to talk for each the 58 hostages that are inactive there," Yael told CBS News. "Whatever Edan told maine astir hostages [who were] with him, you know, during immoderate clip of the captivity, I'm calling their moms and dads, and I'm telling them from the infirmary — I've done it already — and I americium telling them immoderate Edan told me. You know, to springiness them a small spot anticipation that their communicative could extremity besides soon, and with a bully ending."

She knows amended than astir however overmuch powerfulness that anticipation tin provide.

"It's precise important, you know. For me, each hostage that got released, it was like, 'Oh my God, possibly helium saw Edan. Maybe helium tin archer maine something, and I don't attraction if it's not from 2 days, you know. Maybe a twelvemonth agone helium was with Edan, but still, to perceive thing astir my boy, you know, it was precise important to us."

At slightest 1 of those antecedently released hostages came to sojourn Edan successful the infirmary past week. Fellow U.S.-Israeli dual nationalist Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was released aft 498 days successful captivity, said successful a connection released Monday by the Hostage Families Forum that helium and Edan were unneurotic for a portion successful captivity.

"Our fates became intertwined successful the astir analyzable concern 1 could imagine," Dekel-Chen said successful the statement. "It was important for maine to travel and invited Edan upon his return. I cognize what helium went done and what helium inactive has up of him. I americium precise blessed for him and his family. I anticipation that soon I volition beryllium capable to clasp each the different hostages who stay down arsenic well."

Yael Alexander said "it was unbelievable to see" the 2 men reunited successful freedom. "It was a miracle. This is the triumph — to spot the hostages together."

Asked what their household wanted the satellite to cognize now, arsenic rumors swirl erstwhile again of imaginable advancement successful ceasefire talks contempt the ramped-up Israeli subject operations, Adi said the connection was simple: Act now.

"The urgency," helium told CBS News. "Just the urgency. Our son, helium was fortunate to get retired … Listen, you can't dainty agony with much agony. This warfare needs to end."

For the clip being, however, determination is nary extremity successful sight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated connected Monday that Israel intends to support pushing its violative successful Gaza, to prehend implicit power of the Palestinian territory.

"We're grateful for Steve [Witkoff], for President Trump, and for Adam Boehler," said the relieved father. "Great job. But the occupation is not done. We inactive person much to do."

"It's clip for them to travel home. All of them," said Yael. "Not successful tiny pieces, just, to bring everyone backmost home."

Debora Patta

Debora Patta is simply a CBS News overseas analogous based successful Johannesburg. Since joining CBS News successful 2013, she has reported connected large stories crossed Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Edward R. Murrow and Scripps Howard awards are among the galore accolades Patta has received for her work.

Agnes Reau and Leigh Kiniry contributed to this report.

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