The White House condemned the gruesome video of Edan Alexander released on Saturday, calling it a “brutal reminder of the terror of Hamas.”
A disturbing photo of the abduction shows a 20-year-old boy with his face covered and crying. Alexander, an American-Israeli citizen, was serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attack.
In the photo, Alexander appeared pale and pale. The kidnapper explained that he had been a prisoner for more than 420 days and delivered forced messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President-elect Trump.
On Saturday, National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Sean Savett said the White House is aware of the photos and is in contact with Alexander's family.
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A woman holds a photo of hostage Edan Alexander during the World Day of Unity and Prayer with the Israeli Forum for Captives and Missing Families, which represents relatives of those abducted by Palestinian terrorists Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
“The hostage video released today of American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander is a brutal reminder of Hamas's terror against citizens of many countries, including our own,” he said.
“The war in Gaza will stop tomorrow and the suffering of the Gazans will end immediately – and it would have ended months ago – if Hamas agreed to release the hostages,” Savette said. “It refused to do that, but as the President said last week, we have an important opportunity to conclude an agreement to release the hostages, stop the fighting, and provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
Savett also promised that President Biden will “continue to work around the clock” to secure the release of hostages in Gaza.
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Edan Alexander who was born in Tel Aviv and raised in New Jersey, is currently being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (Family forum of kidnappers)
The release of the video comes days after the IDF and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Lebanon. While announcing the deal on Tuesday, Biden acknowledged that Hamas has no intention of releasing its hostages.
“Too many civilians in Gaza have suffered terribly,” the president said in the Rose Garden of the White House. “And Hamas has refused, for months and months, to negotiate a credible cease-fire and hostage agreement.”
Alexander's parents, Yael and Adi Alexander, appeared on “Fox & Friends” last month to talk about their son. During the interview, New Jersey residents described a meeting they had with President-elect Trump.
“I just told [Trump] about Edan, what kind of Jersey boy is he,” said Yael. “I told the president that people [were] rescue[d] in the middle of November, I saw Edan inside the tunnels, and they told me that he was talking to them, tell[ing] everyone is an American citizen.”
An Israeli soldier rides in a military vehicle near the Israeli-Lebanon border on Wednesday, Nov. 27. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
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“He tried to calm everyone down and said, 'Listen, you're all residents. You'll be out soon, soon. Don't worry about that. It was very reassuring to know that Edan was strong on October 7, and he was comforting others,'” he added.
Reuters and Fox News Digital's Bailey Hill contributed to this report.
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