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Over 200 Days Into War, Family Of American Hostage in Gaza Strives For Deal To Bring Son Home

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From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By JAKE SMITH

 

The parents of an American-Israeli hostage in Gaza are doing everything in their power to bring him back home since the Israel-Hamas war began more than 200 days ago, they told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Edan Alexander, 20, is one of five American hostages currently being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. His parents, Adi and Yael, have been meeting with U.S. and Israeli officials to discuss how to get him home as international negotiators rush to reach a deal with Hamas that would see the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.

“They’ve been constantly optimistic for months now since the beginning of January, and I know that they keep negotiating, although Hamas, sometimes they’ve stopped negotiating,” Adi told the DCNF. “But right now it feels like it’s a perfect storm. And everything needs to come kind of together. Even if it’s a small humanitarian deal that can open the gate for the bigger deal, we need to start with that. Just to kind of strike the first small deal.”

There are approximately 128 hostages being held by Hamas, including Israeli and foreign civilians and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.

The current proposal being negotiated would see a 40-day ceasefire in exchange for up to 33 hostages currently in Hamas captivity, with the possibility of a longer-term ceasefire should both sides uphold the deal, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The following phases of the ceasefire could possibly extend up to a year.

Edan was born in Tel Aviv and brought to the United States before his first birthday, growing up mostly in New Jersey, Yael and Adi told the DCNF. He joined the IDF after graduating from high school and was serving at a small base near the border of Gaza when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds of others.

“Before 7 a.m., he’s calling me. And he was yelling, ‘Mom. It’s like a war here. I’m seeing terrible stuff. You cannot believe what I’m seeing,” Yael told the DCNF. “And then I’m like, you’ll be ok, you just protect yourself. You will be okay … I told him that I love him. And that’s it. This is the last time that I heard him.”

Israeli intelligence later contacted Yael and Adi and told them Edan had been among those kidnapped during the attacks, showing them bodycam footage recovered from Oct. 7 depicting him being arrested and taken by Hamas operatives, the parents told the DCNF.

Yael and Adi have since spent their time raising awareness about their son and the hostages in news conferences and rallies with the other hostage families.

“We met with President Biden twice, with Vice President Kamala Harris twice, and numerous times with [White House National Security Advisor] Jake Sullivan and with [CIA Director] Bill Burns,” Adi told the DCNF. Yael added that they have a weekly update call with the State Department.

Yael has also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the family speaks with Israeli officials when visiting the region. Conversations on the Israeli side are highly sensitive and guarded to ensure vital information isn’t leaked, they told the DCNF.

“We try to keep them private and yes, a lot of confidential things are being shared there. So it’s a little bit different,” Adi told the DCNF. “It’s also that the Israelis have to have bigger fish to fry.”

Though Hamas has previously rejected several proposals, there’s some hope on the U.S. and Israeli side that they’re closing in on reaching a deal, Yael and Adi told the DCNF. Sullivan told MSNBC during an interview on April 26 that there was “new momentum” in negotiations.

Having shared the common struggle of knowing their relatives are being held by a terrorist organization in currently one the most deadly places in the world has brought many of the families closer together, Yael and Adi told the DCNF.

“It’s unreal, all the stories and everything. All the families now we are like all together, and we’re like big family, these people that I never met before, and now I’m feeling the connection with them,” Yael told the DCNF. “I just want to spend time with them because they get it.”

Yael and Adi told the DCNF that, above all, they are looking forward to their son coming home so that the family can resume some sense of normalcy. Adi joked that they’d take a trip to the Bahamas and help Edan start applying for colleges.

“I don’t think I’m gonna stop holding him,” Yael said.

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conflict

Trump leaves G7 early after urging evacuation of Tehran

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Quick Hit:

President Trump will leave the G7 summit early following rising tensions in the Middle East. In a Truth Social post Monday night, he warned “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran” and slammed Iran for rejecting a proposed nuclear deal.

Key Details:

  • “Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” Trump posted on Truth Social Monday night, warning that “IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.”

  • “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran,” he added, echoing warnings from Israeli officials issued earlier in the day ahead of expected military operations.

  • Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed he will leave the G7 in Alberta after a working dinner with world leaders, citing the evolving conflict in the Middle East.

Diving Deeper:

President Donald Trump will cut his G7 visit short and return to the United States Monday night after issuing an urgent warning for mass evacuations in Iran’s capital city. The message, shared on his official Truth Social account, came amid intensifying military conflict between Israel and Iran.

“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life,” Trump wrote. “Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”

The post follows Israel’s repeated missile strikes on Iranian targets, including nuclear facilities and regime leadership, in response to Tehran’s escalated provocations. Monday marked the fourth consecutive day of fighting between the two nations.

Earlier in the day, Israeli officials had already advised residents in northeastern Tehran to evacuate, foreshadowing continued strikes. According to Israeli military estimates, one-third of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers have been destroyed so far in the renewed conflict.

While attending the G7 summit in Canada, Trump emphasized the gravity of the situation. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed that he will depart after dinner with fellow heads of state. “Much was accomplished,” she posted, noting a major trade deal signed with the UK, “but because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight.”

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Israel bombs Iranian state TV while live on air

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Quick Hit:

Israel struck Iran’s state-run television station during a live broadcast Monday, forcing an anchor to flee mid-sentence as debris rained down. The Israeli Air Force expanded its target list to include media arms of the Iranian regime after continued missile attacks on Israeli civilians.

Key Details:

  • The Israeli Air Force bombed Iran’s state broadcaster during a live segment, interrupting footage of Iranian missiles hitting Israel. An anchor was seen abandoning her post as the studio filled with smoke and debris.

  • The strike followed public warnings from Israel for residents in northeast Tehran to evacuate ahead of operations targeting regime-linked facilities.

  • Israel’s expanded military campaign follows a new wave of Iranian missile attacks Sunday night into Monday, with Jerusalem emphasizing its intent to avoid civilian casualties despite growing targeting of regime infrastructure.

Diving Deeper:

The Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike Monday on Iran’s state-controlled television network while it was broadcasting live, part of a broader escalation in Israel’s campaign to dismantle Iran’s military and propaganda infrastructure.

According to footage circulating online, the incident occurred as the anchor—visibly agitated and dressed in a black chador—was delivering a harsh anti-Israel rant. In the middle of the broadcast, the screen darkened, the set shook, and debris began falling from the ceiling. The anchor turned and fled as the feed abruptly cut out. The moment marked a rare glimpse into the vulnerability of Iran’s tightly controlled state media under Israeli bombardment.

Israel had publicly urged civilians in northeast Tehran to evacuate earlier that day, signaling imminent attacks in the area. Initial expectations were that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would focus on military and intelligence targets. However, in light of Iran’s continued launches of ballistic missiles at civilian areas across Israel, Jerusalem has expanded its mission to include what it calls “political instruments of the regime”—which now appears to include its media apparatus.

While Iranian authorities maintain strict control over domestic news and heavily censor dissenting voices, Monday’s strike disrupted their messaging operation in real time. Iran’s state-run outlets have played a key role in promoting anti-Israel narratives and concealing internal dissent. Journalists in Iran face imprisonment or worse for crossing red lines laid out by the regime.

The Israeli military’s broader campaign has crippled Iranian air defenses, granting the IAF near-total air superiority over Tehran and much of the country. With that operational freedom, Israel has systematically struck IRGC command centers, missile sites, and now media outlets tied to the regime.

Despite the heightened intensity of the conflict, Israeli officials have reiterated that their strikes are aimed solely at regime targets, not civilians. Reports on social media indicated growing panic in Tehran, with widespread traffic as residents attempted to flee the capital.

Monday’s dramatic strike on state TV underscored Israel’s determination to degrade all facets of Iran’s war-making and propaganda capabilities—signaling that even live broadcasts from Tehran are no longer beyond the reach of Israeli precision airpower.

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