The father of the last, living Israeli-American hostage has called on the US to negotiate directly with Hamas after the terror group said it “lost contact” with his son following an airstrike in Gaza.
Adi Alexander — whose son Edan, 21, remains missing after Hamas claimed an airstrike hit his direct position last week — is urging the Trump administration to resume talks with Hamas to free his son and the 58 other hostages.
“I think we should engage back with them directly and see what can be done in regards to my son, four American dead hostages, and everybody else,” Alexander told reporters on Saturday.
“It seems like the negotiations are stalled, everything is stuck, and we are kind of back to a year ago,” he added. “It’s really concerning.”
Hamas’ military wing reiterated on Sunday that it does not know what happened to Edan following an Israeli airstrike that killed the guard holding him. The terror group’s claim could not be independently verified.
The Israel Defense Forces has said it does not carry out strikes in areas where it suspects Hamas is holding hostages, but free captives have previously said airstrikes hit near their locations when they were being held in Gaza.
Prior to his disappearance, Edan was featured in an undated propaganda film pleading for President Trump to help secure his freedom after the latest cease-fire deal fell through.
Alexander said he was heartbroken by the “horrible, horrible video,” wishing he could tell his son that everyone is fighting for him.
“Just believe. You know, nobody forgot about you,” Alexander said, pretending to talk to his son.
“Definitely not your parents, and everybody is fighting for your release on the highest level in the States and I believe also in Israel.”
Alexander’s plea comes after the latest breakdown in the cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, with the terror group refusing to release anymore hostages unless the Jewish state agrees to a permanent end to the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the condition and vowed that the war will not end until all the hostages are freed and Hamas is completely eradicated.
During the heated negotiations, it was revealed last month that US hostage envoy Adam Boehler engaged in secret talks with Hamas about the American captives.
While Boehler insisted that the talks were “coordinated with Israel,” officials in Jerusalem said they only found out about it from news reports, with the leaders criticizing Boehler’s handling of the situation.
Despite the backlash from Jerusalem, Boehler claimed last week that “it is possible” for his direct talks with Hamas to resume.
Israeli officials estimate that 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with only 24 of the captives believed to still be alive.
With Post wires