At NYC rally, family of Hamas hostage from Tenafly urges U.S. and Israel to reach a deal

Days before Independence Day, hundreds gathered to call for the freedom of Edan Alexander and other Hamas hostages at a rally in Central Park on Sunday.

Almost nine months after the 22-year-old and dozens of others were captured in the October terrorist attack on Israel, about 300 people rallied on their behalf, according to the New York Hostages Families Forum.

Adi Alexander, Edan's father, told the crowd that "the fear, uncertainty and helplessness" he feels right now is overwhelming.

He urged supporters to keep putting pressure on American and Israeli officials to broker a deal with Hamas.

Edan, who was captured while serving with the Israeli Army in the south of the country, is one of five American hostages believed held in Gaza for over 268 days. The other U.S. captives include Omer Neutra, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Keith Siegel and Sai Dekel-Chen.

The latest on Edan Alexander

Edan, a 2022 Tenafly High School graduate, is being held "along with another 119 hostages in a situation no parent should have to imagine," a visibly emotional Alexander told the crowd. "We will do anything in our power to bring our loved ones back safely."

He was flanked by his wife Yael and their son Roy, who all wore matching white T-shirts bearing a smiling photo of Edan. The family has not had word of his condition since a week after the Oct. 7 terror attack, when the Israeli government confirmed he had been abducted.

Participants also heard Sunday from Neutra and Siegel's relatives. The crowd marched two miles together around a lake in the park, chanting "Bring them Home!"

The march is a weekly event, but this gathering was special because it honored America's Independence Day on July Fourth, even as the hostages are unable to celebrate their own freedom, said Dana Cwaigrach, head of the New York Hostage Families Forum.

"The community keeps showing up for the American hostages," she said. "It's very emotional and meaningful for the community to hear from the families and it gives the families of hostages strength and support to be here."

The last time the Alexanders heard from their son was on the morning of Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists stormed Israel's southern border and killed nearly 1,200 people, assaulted scores of other people and kidnapped more than 240 people. Edan, speaking by telephone, told his mother "it was like a war zone" with bombs and bullets flying around him.

More: In Tenafly, weekly march keeps focus on Edan Alexander and other Hamas hostages

How many hostages remain in Gaza?

The 105 hostages released in a deal last fall and several who were rescued since by the Israeli Army have spoken of grim conditions, including malnutrition, lack of medical care, sexual assault and torture, increasing the urgency to bring the remaining captives home immediately, said Cwaigrach.

American hostages Judy Weinstein, Itai Chen and Gadi Hagai are known to be dead, though their bodies have not been released by Hamas. About 80 hostages are believed to be still alive in Gaza, the Associated Press reported last month.

Last month, Goldberg-Polin's parents released a video from his abduction on Oct. 7 with part of his left arm missing after it was blown off by grenades in the Hamas attack.

Edan Alexander was born in Tel Aviv but grew up in Tenafly, where he was an outgoing teen with plenty of friends and a champion swimmer for the local high school, his parents said in earlier interviews. When he opted after graduation to postpone college for two years and volunteer for the Israeli army, his parents were proud, they said.

U.S. attempts to revive a deal

At Sunday's rally, Orna Neutra, mother of 22-year-old hostage Omer Neutra of Long Island, urged the crowd, "We need to pray really hard this week because it's a critical time," as U.S. leaders attempt to revive hostage deal talks and push Hamas towards accepting the offer.

Edan and Omer had a close connection: Both grew up in the U.S. but found themselves together at the same post on Oct. 7 at the border of Gaza. Omer, an officer, was commander of that post, dubbed "the White House." Edan was part of an Israeli Army infantry unit, Omer's mother said.

"We didn't know the Alexanders before this all happened and we didn't know that our kids knew each other."

They discovered from others who had been at the post that their boys knew one another and had made a connection. Both had left their comfortable American homes and families to serve in the army and "shared a great sense of service and dedication," Orna Neutra said. They were also both New York Knicks fans.

They were likely among the first to be kidnapped that day, said Neutra.

"We pray, we hope, we march, we plea, we yell, we scream until they are all back home," said Neutra. "Thank you all for being with us during this really, really, really difficult time."

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: At NYC rally, family of Edan Alexander urges release of Hamas hostage