Friday, August 2nd, marked 300 days since Edan Alexander of Tenafly was kidnapped from Israel by Hamas terrorists. The 20-year-old United States citizen is currently being held captive without cause in an undisclosed location in the Gaza Strip.
“Tammy and I will never forget the horror that we felt, as we heard the news of the attack on Israel on October 7th,” said Governor Murphy. “Our shock and outrage at the atrocities carried out by Hamas and their enablers stays with us every single day, and will not subside until all of the hostages are released and a ceasefire is achieved. We must see Edan reunited with his family and community as soon as possible. My office will continue to be in constant contact with federal authorities about how we can secure Edan’s freedom.”
“Bring Edan home now!” said Lt. Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees the New Jersey Israel Commission in her capacity as Secretary of State. “We are outraged that it has now been 43 weeks since our friend, neighbor, brother, and son is missing. New Jersey is a community where we look out for each other, and my staff and I will continue to embrace and support the Alexander family as we loudly call for Edan’s release. Securing Edan’s freedom is a matter of safety and security not only for New Jersey’s Israeli and Jewish communities, but for all Americans.”
“Edan was abducted more than 7,200 hours ago” said Karin Elkis, NJ Israel Commission Co-Chair. “While the rest of the world is at home celebrating the global unity of the Olympic games, the New Jersey Israel Commission is utterly disgusted by the ongoing nightmare to which Edan, his family, and the other victims of October 7th are subjected by Hamas and their allies. Release the hostages now.”
“It has been 26 million seconds since Edan has seen the sunlight,” said Mark Levenson, Co-Chair of the NJ Israel Commission. “Since that time, he has known only the depravity of his captors and the four walls of his Gaza dungeon. Every additional second that he, 4-year-old Ariel Bibas, 19-month-old Kfir Bibas, and more than 100 other hostages, including 8 American citizens, are held prisoner is a travesty of justice and colossal failure of our international institutions. The indifference of the international community to the plight of the hostages is an affront to our humanity.”
On October 7, 2023, Edan was kidnapped, along with over 200 other innocent people, by terrorists from Gaza who illegally infiltrated Israel and murdered over 1200. Since that day, Edan has had no communication with his family, the Israeli government, or the United States government. Edan and his fellow abductees, who are believed to be held hostage in unknown locations throughout the Gaza Strip, have had no contact with or received visits from any international humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, the WHO, ICRC, MSF/DWB, Amnesty International, or Human Rights Watch, despite the fact that all of these groups are active observers of the war in the region.
Edan Alexander lives in Tenafly, NJ with his parents and two younger siblings. He graduated from Tenafly High School in 2022, where he was a decorated athlete on the swim team. He loves art and music, particularly artists like Travis Scott and SZA. His favorite activities include joining his friends for adventurous outdoor activities, such as skydiving and skateboarding. Following graduating high school, Edan put off enrolling in college, and volunteered with IDF’s Golani brigade as a “lone soldier.” He was stationed at the border with Gaza on the early morning of October 7th, 2023, when his mother last spoke with him before he was kidnapped. He celebrated his 20th birthday in captivity on December 29. His current whereabouts and condition are unknown.