The hostage of the United States of Israel, the hostage, Edin Alexander Farha, has reunited 584 days in making

Tel Aviv – American -Israeli Alexander Among the first Israeli prisoners to be transferred to Gaza during a terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. One week ago, he was gathered with his family in a deal in which the Trump administration and his leadership in the White House envoy to Steve Witkev mediated.

Alexander and his family the idea of ​​Trump’s team saved his life, and in an interview with CBS News, the parents of the young soldier told the foreign correspondents, Deborah, about the wonderful moment that they learned that Aidan would be released, and moments of pride since then.

Edin Alexander spent 584 days in Hamas’s families. After a number of misconceptions and the wrong hope for his release, when the invitation finally came from the highest levels of the United States government, his father missed – eight times.

“Therefore, we were all at home in Jersey after the Mother’s Day lunch meal that we had,” I remembered his mother Yael.

His father, Adi, said: “I was taking some papers.” When he placed the sheet of the leaves, he realized that he “missed eight phone calls from Steve Witkev.”

When Uday finally communicates with the great White House envoy, “We told us within 10 minutes from now, Hamas will announce the launch of your son tomorrow.”

Yael recalls, “I thanked him. Without stopping;” Thank you, Steve! Thank you very much. “It is the happiest mother’s day ever!”

She said, “We were like us, screaming, like madness with children.” While they watched Yael and Adi and their other two children, the announcement came that Edin will be released the next day, just as Witkoff promised. “And we liked, well, we need to fill! We need … reaching Israel!”

Finally, they did not reunite them more than a year and a half.

Uday reserved a trip immediately. Yael had already booked one later on the same day, in a specific blow of luck, plans to go and express the family in Israel immediately after Mother’s Day.

None of the parents got their flights to Israel.

“I couldn’t sleep on the entire trip,” Yael told CBS News. “Like, you are alert … I couldn’t sit, as you know?

Once they landed, they were moved away to an Israeli military base, where Edan quickly arrived by Hamas.

His mother said: “I definitely gave him like, the biggest hug of ever.” “When I came to him, I came in full power!

The parents said that Eddan was still weak, but the doctors cleared him for his release from the hospital where he was treated. He still receives a medical attention to some of the minor injuries that she sustained during the terrorist attack on October 7, whose mother and father said: “No one cared about these tunnels.”

Even his freedom was a horrific ordeal.

“The day of the release was a very crowded day for him,” Father Ady said to CBS News. “It took it forever. They moved around them and crawled below, and it was a very difficult day. He did not sleep all night before that, because he was excited, he did not sleep.

Since then, they have given them some details about his families, but they did not pay him.

His father said: “He talks a lot about it, but there is no impulsion. We do not ask. If you want to say something, as you say, and we do not press.” “He has gone through a lot of things.”

His parents said: “He is just happy to be at home, as you know, only to sit with Mika and Roy (his brothers) and just hold and watch with us and watch TV yesterday.”

During his long family, Evan saw his parents in the news and sponsored his release.

His father said: “I think that the fact that he saw us, and we saw us running, fighting and knocking each door, and keeping it in his hope”, along with “the fact that he was detained with other hostages together, and not himself, he kept his hope. He is just a strong child, as you know, mentally and physically.”

Hamas has held many of its hostages in the tunnels under the Gaza Strip, with many, including Alexander, saying they had never seen daylight at all.

His mother remembers him, saying, “I am very pale.” “I look like a vampire!”

Israel Go up that it The war in GazaThe Hamas -running Ministry of Health says that more than 53,000 people have been killed now since the start of the fighting, including more than 500 last week alone.

Families of the hostages – 58 of them He still believes that he is being held in GazaIncluding about 20 Israeli officials who thought to be alive – they moved to the streets regularly, as they were suffering from a renewed attack as being more dangerous.

“Edan told us, so when they heard the bombing, it was very disturbing, very frightening,” said Ady. “At some point, one of the tunnels collapsed.”

The father added: “Sometimes he told us that he was afraid to go to sleep. Because they would have bombed this place where there is specifically.” “It was very scary.”

Now they have returned together as a family, their thoughts are still very much with other hostages.

Yael told CBS News: “We still continue to talk about all the 58 hostages who are still there.” “Whatever I told me about Aden about the hostages (who were) with him, as you know, during any time, I invite their mothers and fathers, and I tell them from the hospital – I did so already – and I told them what Edin told me.

It knows better than most of the strength that hope can provide.

“It is very important, as you know. For me, every hostage was released, it was so,” Oh my God, maybe Adan. Perhaps he can tell me anything, and I do not care if that is not two days, as you know. Perhaps a year ago it was with Adan, but still, to hear something about my son, as you know, was very important to us. “

At least one of the hostages previously issued to visit Edan in the hospital last week. In a statement issued on Monday by the hosting families forum, he was and together for a period of time in captivity.

“Our fate has become intertwined in the most complex situations that one can imagine,” Dickel Chen said at the statement. “It was important for me to come and welcome Aidan upon his return. I know what he went through and still in front of him. I am very happy with him and his family. I hope that I can soon embrace all the other hostages who stay behind them too.”

“It was unreasonable to see” the two men did not reunite them in freedom. “It was a miracle. This is victory – to see the hostages together.”

When they were asked about what their family wanted to know the world now, as rumors revolve again about the potential progress in the ceasefire talks despite the widespread Israeli military operations, Uday said that the message was simple: behavior now.

He told CBS News. “Just urge. Our son was lucky to go out … Listen, you cannot deal with suffering with more torment. This war needs to end.”

Currently, there is no end on the horizon. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated that Israel intends to continue to push its attack in Gaza, to completely control the Palestinian territories.

The comfortable father said: “We are grateful to Steve (Witkeov) for President Trump and Adam Bouhler.” “Wonderful job. But the job has not accomplished. We still have more to do it.”

Yael said: “It is time for them to return home. All of them.” “Not in small pieces, just, to return everyone home.”

Agnes Rio and

Li Kenneri

He contributed to this report.