It was one year ago yesterday, on May 12th, 2025, that American-Israeli Edan Alexander was released after surviving 584 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza after being kidnapped on October 7, 2023 from southern Israel. I met Edan this past October in Tel-Aviv with my dear friend and Candidate for California’s district 32 Dory Benami. As Dory and I were sitting on Dizengoff street having pizza with his wife Laura and their daughter something remarkable happened. I suddenly looked up, pointed, and said, “That’s Edan Alexander.” Edan grew up in New Jersey and moved to Israel at 18 to serve in the IDF’s Golani Brigade. He was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and held in Gaza for 584 days before being freed this May. He was the last known living American hostage.

As someone who went to every........

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