For the first time since American-Israeli Edan Alexander's release by Hamas​, his family is speaking publicly about what their son went through.

Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage in Gaza, was released by Hamas and reunited with his family on Monday, ending an 18-month ordeal that began with the militant group’s October 7 attack.

On May 11, Alexander's family and friends, his hometown and strangers around the world who followed his tragic story rejoiced at the news they'd been yearning for: The 21-year old New Jersey native, believed to be the last living American hostage captured by Hamas in its 2023 attack on Israel, appears to be coming home.