May 12, 2025 — New York, NY
American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, is overjoyed to welcome Edan Alexander home after 584 days in Hamas captivity. AJC is dedicated to bringing home all the remaining hostages and will continue to support hostage families and those who have been rescued and released as they advocate for every single hostage until they are all reunited with their families or returned home for a proper burial. We are grateful to Steve Witkoff and the Trump Administration for their tireless efforts to bring Edan and every hostage home.
“We have been praying and working for Edan’s return for 584 days, and today those prayers were finally answered,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “As Edan’s mom said yesterday – this is the greatest Mother's Day gift imaginable – for her and Adi to finally be able to hold their son in their arms again. Yet, even as we are overjoyed to see Edan finally reunited with his parents, we cannot rest – the work is far from done. None of us are truly home until they are all home. The world must heed the testimony from other survivors–time is running out. The entire international community must demand the release of the remaining 58 hostages. We will not rest until they are all home.”
Just two weeks ago, Yael and Adi Alexander addressed AJC Global Forum 2025 in New York, sharing their heartbreaking story and calling for urgent international action to secure the release of all the hostages still held by Hamas. This call is even more urgent today.
Since October 7, 2023, AJC has mobilized its entire global advocacy operation to work toward the release of the hostages. We have worked closely with the families of hostages to facilitate meetings with community and government leaders in the U.S. and worldwide, emphasizing the urgent need to bring home every person kidnapped on October 7. During visits to Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Paris, Brussels, Rome, and other cities around the world, AJC has assisted more than 50 families of hostages in sharing their stories with more than 200 Members of Congress, media outlets, the State Department, high-level administration officials, diplomats, UN officials, and Jewish communities.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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