Tel Aviv, Israel - Two days after Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander was imprisoned in Gaza for 19 months, he ate nothing. Although held by Hamas militants, Alexander had no appetite.

Then his mother, Yael Alexander, put a burger and fries in front of him, her son, pigeons and pigeons.

It has been one of many happy moments his family has experienced since learning that he will be released.

Hamas releases Alexander, Gaza's last American hostage, was the gesture against President Donald Trump ahead of last week's Middle East tour, which militants hope will revive the negotiations for a ceasefire. Instead, a few days later, Israel launched a new offensive, and the remaining hostage families feared that they would put loved ones in serious danger.

Alexander's father was a little excited about Israel's announcement on Monday, saying he entered Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months.

"This is the first step forward, so hopefully we'll see another ceasefire, more issuances and the end of this conflict," said Adi Alexander. "It's been too long, too much, you can't treat pain with more pain. That's enough."

He urged Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to "leap beyond politics to prioritize human life."

The family had just celebrated Mother's Day at home in New Jersey when Adi Alexander saw eight missed calls from Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff told them to turn on the TV because Hamas is about to announce that their son will be released.

"We were frightened," he said. The family competed to book flights to Israel. Alexander's mother travels with Trump's hostage negotiator Adam Boehler. His father and his couple's two other children arrived just minutes before Edan Alexander crossed Israel from Gaza.

Alexander is one of 251 people kidnapped by Hamas in an October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, with Palestinian militants killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Hamas still holds 58 hostages, about one-third of which are still alive, and most of the rest are released by ceasefires or other deals. Israeli troops have rescued eight hostages and recovered more than 40 bodies.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, and the ministry did not separate civilians and combatants. The campaign destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of the population.

Alexander told his parents that the lowest point of his 584-day captivity was dragged into Gaza and pushed into the tunnel. He was locked underground for hours until the other 10 hostages were with him.

That was a relief. His father said his son's greatest fear was a kidnapping, just like an Israeli soldier captured in Gaza in 2006, who was detained for years until he was released on an exchange in 2011, with more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Edan Alexander told his parents that he stayed mostly underground and frequently moved between tunnels with other hostages. There is very little food, and he rarely sees the sun or is able to breathe fresh air. At first, like many other male hostages, he was handcuffed, sometimes sacked on his head, and tried.

Alexander, 6 feet tall (180 cm), dropped from about 175 pounds (80 kg) to about 130 pounds (60 kg) before the kidnapping.

Adi Alexander said the situation of his son being imprisoned improved slightly after Trump was elected. He was given meat and vegetables for the first time in a weekly ceasefire earlier this year, but that once Israel reinjected the Gaza lockdown in March.

Adi Alexander said the family expressed gratitude to Trump and U.S. officials for relentless release of their son. He lived in Maryland as a kid and graduated from high school in Tenafly, New Jersey. He moved to Israel in 2022 and volunteered to join the Israeli army.

The day after Alexander's release, U.S. officials Boehler and Witkoff visited the hostage square in Tel Aviv to meet with their family members in Gaza.

Hostage families said they will be meeting optimistic that there will be more issuances. But Trump ended a whirlwind tour of three Gulf countries without other announcements, with Israel conducting a military campaign on Saturday, which makes people hope to release immediately.

Alexander's parents said that once breathing, the family would resume the battle to win the hostage release. They have been talking to the media and politicians at the rally, traveling between New Jersey, Washington and Israel. Alexander's ultimate hostile aunt kept on until he was safe. Yael Alexander said she died after hearing that he was with the Red Cross.

Edan Alexander was faint and pale, but his parents said they saw him strengthening his strength every day. Two days after the burger was released, the hamburger was a turning point.

"I sat there, looking at him with this bright smile on my face, and I was like, oh my god, because he was like, longing for hamburgers."

Currently, Edan Alexander returns to his grandmother’s room in Tel Aviv’s apartment, where he lived during his rest from the army before the kidnapping.

He reconnected with certain hostages, including the United States - Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, who was released during the last ceasefire. He was visiting with his Army and old friends in New Jersey, being squeezed into the doctor’s appointment while hanging out with his siblings.

Over the past week, he has done normal things like rolling Spotify, and some quiet moments have been reaching out to his mother. Seeing her three children. Just be able to touch him and embrace him.

It's a long way to get back, but there are some happy moments, like seeing him share beer on the roof of a hospital with his sister. This is his first "legal" beer because he was imprisoned at 21 years old, which is the legal drinking age in the United States.

"Like, I'm here, I'm back, I have sunglasses, I have beer in my hands, we're all good."

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