Edan Alexander: Mother of Israeli-American hostage ‘shaken’ by Hamas video of her son begging Netanyahu and Trump for deal
CNNCNN — The mother of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander says she has been assured by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “conditions are ripe” for a hostage deal, just hours after Hamas released a video of her son begging the Israeli leader and US President-elect Donald Trump for his release. Yael Alexander, whose son Edan was kidnapped by militants on October 7 last year, said she was “shaken by the video” as she spoke in front of thousands at a rally on Saturday night at “Hostage Square” in Tel Aviv, where families of the hostages have been gathering every week for months to call on the government to bring them home. The Israeli prime minister confirmed he had spoken with Alexander’s family Saturday following what his office called “the publication of the brutal psychological warfare video in which an important and exciting sign of life was received from Edan.” Netanyahu said he felt the family’s agony and that “Israel is working with determination and in every way to return them home, along with all the abductees who are in the hands of the enemy.” A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Sean Savett, described the video as “a cruel reminder of Hamas’ terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own” and said it had been in touch with Edan’s family. However, he added that a deal was “on the table now” and that “as said last week, we have a critical opportunity to conclude the deal to release the hostages, stop the war, and surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza.” Yael Alexander, whose son Edan was kidnapped by militants on October 7 last year.