Trump administration pushes for release of last living American hostage in Gaza
White House envoy Steve Witkoff said securing Edan Alexander’s freedom is a top priority as ceasefire talks continue
Donald Trump poses for photos with the family of Edan Alexander on Oct. 07, 2024. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh February 23, 2025
The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to secure the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American and the last known living U.S. citizen held by Hamas in Gaza, according to White House Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
“He is front and center for us,” Witkoff said Sunday on CBS News’ Face the Nation. “One of President Trump’s most important objectives is to get all Americans home, and we’re going to be successful in getting Edan home, I believe.”
Alexander, a New Jersey native and an IDF soldier, appeared in a three-minute video published by Hamas in December, pleading for Trump to use “the power of the U.S.” to secure his release. Two American hostages — Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen — were released in recent weeks as part of the six-week ceasefire deal that Witkoff helped finalize, on terms that former President Joe Biden had first proposed. The bodies of four more — Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Gadi and Judi Haggai — are still held in Gaza.
Trump told supporters in remarks on Saturday that he “will not rest until all of the hostages have been returned back home.”
“Getting the body back is just as important as getting the son back healthy or the daughter back healthy,” Trump said in an hour-long speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, attended by freed Israeli hostages Noa Argamani and Ilana Gritzewsky, as well as relatives of American hostages still held in Gaza.
The fragile ceasefire in Gaza teetered Sunday after Israel postponed the planned release of roughly 600 Palestinian prisoners. It cited Hamas’ staging “humiliating ceremonies” as hostages were handed over, among other alleged violations. That includes Thursday’s delivery of the remains of an unidentified person instead of Shiri Bibas’ body, who was killed in captivity with her sons, Kfir and Ariel. The terror group said the switch was made in error and returned her body on Friday.
Witkoff said he will be traveling to the region, including stops in Israel and Qatar, on a five-day tour this week to discuss a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, dubbed “phase two,” and possibly extend the current hostages-for-prisoners exchanges to get more of the living hostages home in the coming weeks. “I’m very focused on that,” he said, “and I think it’s going to happen.”
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Witkoff said that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is well-motivated” in handling the hostage crisis. “He also wants to protect the state of Israel,” he said.
