Trump warmly greets former Hamas hostage Edan Alexander at Oval Office

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump welcomed Edan Alexander, who spent 584 days as a hostage of Hamas, to the Oval Office on Tuesday, October 7, exactly two years after Hamas launched its attack on Israel. He was joined by the family of IDF soldier Omer Neutra.

“President Trump is committed to bringing every hostage home,” the White House said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Alexander was 19 years old when he was abducted. The visit came as talks in Egypt continue over Trump’s plan to bring peace and an end to the conflict in Gaza.

Trump meets Edan Alexander and the family of Omer Neutra

Donald Trump took the opportunity to meet with Edan Alexander, who was freed in May. 

This was Alexander’s second visit to the White House since his release. The 21-year-old American-Israeli had previously visited the White House in July.

Alexander was born and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey. He moved to Israel in 2022 to volunteer with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). At that time, he was living with his grandparents in Tel Aviv (the central coastline of Israel) when he was abducted.

Alongside Alexander, the family of Omer was also welcomed to the Oval Office. Omer was reportedly kidnapped and killed by Hamas on the first day of the conflict. 

After the meeting, Ronen Neutra, Omer’s father, said they had spoken with Trump on behalf of the "28 bereaved families who are among the 48 total hostage families."

He added, "We reminded him how important it is that the deceased are also returned for burial."

Neutra said Trump appeared "hopeful, but he said we should ‘wait and see what happens in the coming days.'"

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to join Ron Dermer in Egypt for Gaza peace talks

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is expected to travel to Egypt on Wednesday. He will take part in the third day of negotiations over Trump’s 20-point plan for lasting peace in Gaza.

Dermer will be joined by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani and Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin are expected to be present during the talks, as per the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

The talks, hosted in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, began on Monday, October 6, with a Hamas delegation led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya.

Trump expressed optimism, saying, “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East, something even beyond the Gaza situation.”

He added, “There’s a real chance that we could do something.”