Mounting frustration among families of hostages has prompted a new appeal for the United States to negotiate directly with Hamas, bypassing the Israeli government, in hopes of securing a ceasefire and the release of captives held in Gaza.
Adi Alexander, whose 21-year-old son Edan was captured by Hamas during the October 7 border incursion while serving in the Israel Defence Forces, said he remains hopeful his son is alive despite Hamas’s recent inability to confirm his condition.
“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 said in an interview. “It seems like the negotiations are stalled, everything is stuck, and we are kind of back to a year ago. It’s concerning.”
Hamas recently released an undated video purportedly showing Edan Alexander. “He looked very scary to us — just a horrible, horrible video,” said his father.
While families of hostages appeal to Washington for direct involvement, tensions within Israel have escalated. Protesters demanding a hostage deal attempted to impose a self-styled “siege” on Moshav Mazor in central Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attended a private celebration.
The event, a traditional henna pre-wedding party for their son Avner and his fiancée Amit Yardeni, took place on Saturday night under heavy police security.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that Netanyahu had cancelled plans to attend a Mimouna party due to a military incident in Gaza, in which one soldier was killed and five wounded. However, the henna and the Mimouna appear to have been the same event, which he did attend.
Police sealed off the area to prevent protesters from reaching the location, occasionally clashing with demonstrators.
The Israeli government has drawn criticism for either backtracking on a proposed peace framework brokered by Egypt and Qatar, or introducing terms that Hamas has described as untenable. Despite several rounds of negotiations, a durable ceasefire and hostage agreement remains elusive.
Currently, 59 hostages are believed to remain in Gaza, with only 24 presumed alive.
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