President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted dual American Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, 21, on Thursday at the White House, where the latter reportedly pressed the president to free the remaining hostages held in captivity by Hamas.
Alexander, a New Jersey native, was serving as an Israeli soldier when he was captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. He was released from captivity in May, but weeks earlier, Hamas claimed that it had lost contact with the unit holding Alexander following an Israeli airstrike.
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Axios reported Thursday afternoon that Trump and Alexander discussed the incident, with the former soldier telling the president he thought he was going to die before asking Trump to broker a ceasefire.
The White House posted a clip of the meeting, during which Trump said he was “very proud” to have helped secure Alexander’s release.
“The first lady, it was very important to her, and the fact that you’re American, it had a big impact,” Trump continued.
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Trump’s multiple attempts to bring the war in Gaza to a close have not yet yielded an end to the fighting and a release of the remaining hostages still held by Hamas.
Israel agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States earlier this week, but Hamas is still reportedly studying the agreement heading into the holiday weekend.