Adi Alexander, the father of Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage held in Gaza, is more hopeful about the American government's chances of bringing his son home than the Israeli government's, though he is hesitant to blame the Netanyahu government for his son's continued captivity. Speaking with the Associated Press on Friday, the elder Alexander stated, “I don’t want to get into who came first, the egg or the chicken." He stated that his message to the Trump Administration is, “Just keep this job going.” While he refrained from blaming Netanyahu, he questioned the Israeli Premier's actions in the negotiations of phase two of the January ceasefire, which would have seen Edan's release, and believes that US President Donald Trump has been clearer in his focus on freeing the remaining hostages. A little over a week ago, Hamas announced that it would free Edan and the bodies of four other American hostages. Adi, like the American and Israeli governments, did not believe Hamas was serious about releasing his son because the announcement was not made in the contacts of the talks conducted between Hamas and US hostage envoy Adam Boehler. He remains in daily contact with Boehler and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Related articles: Netanyahu speaks with family of hostage Elkana Bochbot 'It's harder than burying a child' 'Division in the nation gives strength to our enemies' 'No one forgets the hostages for even a moment' Adi said phase two of the ceasefire never occurred because both sides became too comfortable with phase one, ultimately leading to the resumption of hostilities last week. “Somebody, I think had to shake this tree to create chaos, and chaos creates opportunities,” he said. “The only objective is to get back to the bargaining table to get those people out.” In November, the Hamas terrorist organization published a video clip showing an additional sign of life from Edan Alexander, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023 from the Kissufim Crossing, as part of its psychological warfare campaign.
