Freed American-Israeli hostage Edna Alexander will meet with President Trump at the White House Thursday – exactly two weeks after the New Jersey native returned home from 19 grueling months in Hamas captivity.
Trump and first lady Melania will host Alexander, believed to be the last living US citizen held hostage in Gaza, and his family at the Oval Office, according to White House press secretary Karolina Leavitt.
“The President and First Lady have met with many released hostages from Gaza, and they greatly look forward to meeting Edan Alexander and his family in the Oval Office tomorrow,” Leavitt said in a statement.
President Donald Trump walks from the Oval Office before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Washington. AP
Alexander was abducted during the Hamas-led attack on his base on October 7, 2023. AP
The 21-year-old Israeli Defense Forces staff sergeant was finally freed from Gaza on May 12 after enduring 584 days of unimaginable horror at the hands of the depraved terror group.
His long-awaited release came as part of a deal brokered by President Trump.
Alexander was raised in the Garden State and graduated from Tenafly High School before moving to Israel in 2022, where he served in the country’s military.
He was on duty on Oct. 7, 2023, when he was abducted — alongside 251 other Israelis — during the Hamas terror attack that ignited the war in Gaza.
Released hostage Edan Alexander arrives at a reception facility in southern Israel, on May 12, 2025. Xinhua/Shutterstock
Alexander was severely tortured and often locked in a cage during his hellish captivity, and frequently shackled at the hands and feet, deep within the terrorists’ underground tunnel network, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
The resilient prisoner, who was severely malnourished and weak when he was freed, returned to Tenafly, where his family lives, on June 19 for an emotional and joyful homecoming.
Trump, 78, previously welcomed eight former Hamas hostages to the White House in March.
Thursday’s meeting comes after the commander in chief revealed Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the conditions of a 60-day cease-fire with Hamas. The plan is set to go before the militant group for consideration.
Officials have been working to enact a new agreement since the last cease-fire in Gaza expired in March.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to visit the White House Monday.
With Post wires