Former Hamas captive Idan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier, has announced he will return to the Israeli army to take part in its ongoing genocide on Gaza.
“Next month I will return to Israel and once again wear my [Israeli army] uniform, serving proudly alongside my brothers. My story doesn’t end with survival – it continues with service. Until victory,” Alexander declared at a Friends of the Israel Defence Forces (FIDF) event in the United States earlier this week.
Alexander, who is also an American citizen, said serving Israel is “one of the greatest honours of my life.”
The fundraising event for FIDF, a US-based charity that supports Israeli soldiers, will fund emergency medical supplies and mental health treatment for those wounded in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Alexander was freed in May after Hamas said it would release him as a goodwill gesture to advance ceasefire talks and open the way for urgently needed humanitarian aid.
“The movement affirms its readiness to immediately start intensive negotiations and make serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war, exchange prisoners in an agreed-upon manner,” Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said at the time.
US President Donald Trump welcomed the release on Truth Social, calling it “a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators – Qatar and Egypt – to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.”
Washington’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, also hailed the release, crediting Trump with playing a “central role” in securing Alexander’s freedom. “It is a big moment in large part because of Trump. The family is ecstatic,” Witkoff said.
Alexander, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship, was serving in the Israeli military near Gaza when he was captured during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October.
Since Hamas’ gesture, the Trump administration has hardened its stance against Palestinians, backing the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and promoting ethnic cleansing.
In August, a famine was officially declared in Gaza as Israel maintained its siege.
At least 65,208 Palestinians have been killed and 166,271 wounded in Israeli bombardments since October 2023, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Thousands more are believed to remain buried beneath the rubble of bombed-out neighbourhoods.
