© 2026 ABC News

\"He looked really happy and we're really happy that he's back!\" one girl told New York ABC station WABC.

\"PHOTO:
WABC
PHOTO: Residents of Tenafly, New Jersey, came together to celebrate the homecoming of freed American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, June 19, 2025.
>
\"PHOTO:
WABC
PHOTO: Residents of Tenafly, New Jersey, came together to celebrate the homecoming of freed American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, June 19, 2025.
>

\"The community came out!\" a Tenafly resident told WABC. \"This is so long overdue. Welcome home, Edan.\"

\"We're all really excited to have him back. It's a big deal,\" another resident added. \"A part of our town's missing and now he's finally home.\"

\"PHOTO:
WABC
PHOTO: Residents of Tenafly, New Jersey, came together to celebrate the homecoming of freed American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, June 19, 2025.
>
\"PHOTO:
WABC
PHOTO: Residents of Tenafly, New Jersey, came together to celebrate the homecoming of freed American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, June 19, 2025.
>

Alexander, who moved to Israel at the age of 18, was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was captured from his base during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. He was 19 when he was abducted and spent two birthdays in captivity. He was released following successful negotiations between the U.S. and Hamas.

\"We always believed that this moment will come, always,\" his father, Adi Alexander, told ABC News in an exclusive interview last month. \"Hope is mandatory. It finally happened.\"

\"PHOTO:
Israel Prime Ministers Office
PHOTO: Edan Alexander is reunited with his father Adi, mother Yael and a sibling at Reim Military Base in Israel, May 12, 2025.
>

Edan Alexander was the last living American hostage.

Fifty-two hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 people believed to be alive.

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