'You saved my life:' Freed hostage Edan Alexander thanks Trump in emotional phone call
In an emotional and widely shared moment, President Donald J. Trump spoke directly with Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old American-Israeli soldier who was recently freed from Hamas captivity, during a phone call captured on camera and released by the White House."Mr. President," Alexander greeted Trump at the start of the call, visibly moved. "You're the only reason I'm here. You saved my life."
The phone conversation, which took place while Alexander was recovering at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, came just days after his dramatic release from Gaza, where he was held hostage for over 580 days following his abduction by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.HAMAS CAPTIVITY SURVIVORS APPEAL TO NETANYAHU, TRUMP AFTER EDAN ALEXANDER'S RELEASE
President Trump greeted Edan with a bit of humor and humility, saying "I'm very nervous talking to you, Edan, because you're a much bigger celebrity than I am."
Trump also expressed American solidarity and the administration's commitment to bringing all hostages home while on the call.
"You're an American, and we love you," Trump told Alexander. "We're going to take good care of you. And your parents are incredible. I saw your mother. She was pushing me around a little bit—putting a lot of pressure on me."
"Like a good mom!" exclaimed Edan's mother in the background.
The heartfelt exchange was posted online by the official White House account and has quickly gone viral, drawing praise from across the political spectrum for its display of humanity and international unity.
Alexander's release came amid intensified U.S. diplomatic pressure and quiet negotiations, coordinated in part by senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler.
Trump had previously signaled his determination to secure the freedom of American citizens held abroad and made Alexander's case a top priority.
The Alexander family issued a statement thanking President Trump directly, along with the negotiation team and the Israeli Defense Forces, calling the outcome "a miracle rooted in strength, diplomacy, and prayer."
Edan Alexander's homecoming has reignited calls to bring home the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.
A coalition of 65 former hostages recently signed a letter urging both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "build on this breakthrough" and intensify efforts for a comprehensive agreement to ensure every hostage's safe return.
Prime Minister Netanyahu acknowledged the success of this combined effort, stating, "This was achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump. This is a winning combination."
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Asian shares shoot higher as US stocks inch toward their records
Shares advanced Wednesday in Asia after U.S. stocks drifted closer to their records, while U.S. futures edged lower. South Korea's Kospi led gains in the region, jumping 2.4% to 2,763.32 after the liberal opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected president. Lee's victory caps months of political turmoil triggered by the stunning but brief imposition of martial law by the now-ousted conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol. Top priorities will include government spending and trade negotiations with the United States. 'Regardless of his political roots, boosting growth will be a key challenge. Even before President Trump's tariffs hit exports, the economy contracted by 0.2% quarter on quarter, seasonally adjusted, in the first three months of the year. The figures highlighted fragile business activity and private consumption,' Min Joo Kang of ING Economics said in a report. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index surged 1% on gains for technology and pharmaceutical companies. Toyota Motor Corp.'s shares rose 2% after it announced it was buying Toyota Industries Corp., a maker of auto parts and lift trucks, for $33 billion and taking it private. Toyota Industries' shares tumbled 12.5%. Chinese shares were modestly higher. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.6% to 23,650.12, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.3% to 3,372.85. Taiwan's Taiex climbed 2.1%. Investors were watching for updates on President Donald Trump's tariffs, including the imposition of 50% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum due to take effect Wednesday. With industries lobbying for him to expand that protection to products made from those materials, analysts say prices of many basic items will likely rise. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% and was less than 3% away from its all-time high set earlier this year, at 5,970.37. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5% to 42,519.64. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.8% to 19,398.96. Dollar General jumped 15.8% for one of the market's bigger gains after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the start of the year than analysts expected. Many companies have cut or withdrawn their financial forecasts for the upcoming year because of the uncertainty caused by Trump's on-again-off-again rollout of tariffs. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Tuesday that it's forecasting 1.6% growth for the U.S. economy this year, down from 2.8% last year. A report on Tuesday morning showed U.S. employers were advertising more job openings at the end of April than economists expected, the latest signal that the labor market remains resilient. It set the stage for a more important report coming on Friday, which will show how much hiring and firing U.S. employers did in May. On the trade front, hopes are still high on Wall Street that Trump will reach trade deals with other countries that will ultimately lower tariffs, particularly with the world's second-largest economy. The U.S. side said President Donald Trump was expecting to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday that they had no information on that. Tech stocks helped lead the way again as Nvidia rose 2.9%, and Broadcom climbed 3.3%. The chip companies have recovered their sharp losses from earlier this year borne amid worries their stock prices had shot too high. Treasury yields held relatively steady following the encouraging report on the U.S. job market. It's a cooldown from a sharp rise for yields over the last two months. Yields had been climbing in part on worries about how the U.S. government may be set to add trillions of dollars to its debt through tax cuts. Higher Treasury yields make it more expensive for U.S. households and businesses to borrow money and can discourage investors from paying high prices for stocks and other investments. In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 19 cents to $63.22 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 16 cents to $65.47 per barrel. The U.S. dollar fell to 143.86 Japanese yen from 144.00 yen. The euro rose to $1.1383 from $1.1370. ___ AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Stan Choe contributed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNBC
35 minutes ago
- CNBC
European markets set to open higher, shrugging off Trump's 50% metals tariffs
Bank of England and the Royal Exchange in the City of London on 24th March 2025 in London, United Kingdom. Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty Images Good morning from London. This is CNBC's live blog covering all the action in European financial markets on Wednesday, as well as business news, analysis, earnings and data. Futures data from IG on Wednesday morning suggests London's FTSE will open 6 points higher at 8,788, Germany's DAX up 56 points at 24,135, France's CAC 40 up 20 points at 7,780 and Italy's FTSE MIB 60 points higher at 40,155. U.S. tariffs are once again in focus on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said last week that he will double tariffs on steel imports from 25% to 50% on June 4. The European Union criticized the hike, saying such a move "undermines" its trade deal negotiations with the U.S. An EU spokesperson said that the bloc was "prepared to impose countermeasures." Nonetheless, analysts say European steel buyers and some manufacturers could benefit from the higher metals tariffs as they could put downward pressure on steel prices in the region. — Holly Ellyatt People walk in front of the Polish Central Bank (NBP) in Warsaw, Poland, September 25, 2023. Kacper Pempel | Reuters It's a quiet day for earnings and data, although Spanish and Italian services purchasing managers' index data, which measures activity in the sector, will be released. Poland's central bank will also be announcing its latest monetary policy decision on Wednesday. — Holly Ellyatt Asia-Pacific markets advanced overnight, boosted by a tech rally on Wall Street that was led by chipmaker Nvidia on Tuesday. Shares in the artificial intelligence darling advanced nearly 3%, extending Monday's gains and driving Nvidia's market cap past Microsoft's for the first time since January. Chip companies Broadcom and Micron Technology rose more than 3% and 4%, respectively. President-elect Lee Jae-myung arrives to attend a public vote count broadcast event hosted by the Democratic Party near the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea, on June 4, 2025. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images South Korean markets also rose overnight as opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung won the presidential election. Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures were little changed early Wednesday after the S&P 500 notched a second straight day of gains. The recent comeback rally has investors increasingly confident stocks have turned a corner on tariffs, especially after a series of reversals from President Donald Trump convinced traders the White House is mainly wielding high levies as a negotiating tool. A federal court striking down Trump's tariffs just last week added to hopes the market has priced in the worst of the tariffs, though they were later reinstated temporarily by an appeals court. — Holly Ellyatt, Sarah Min and
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New US tariffs on steel and aluminium to come into force
US import tariffs on steel and aluminium are set to be doubled from 0401 GMT Wednesday morning, following the announcement by US President Donald Trump. The tariff rate is set to rise from 25 to 50% of the value of the goods as Trump seeks to correct alleged trade imbalances and strengthen domestic industry in the United States. The measure is likely to make it more difficult to import the products in question – and lead to higher prices. In 2024, the US was the world's largest steel importer after the European Union. According to the US government, the most important countries of origin are Canada, Brazil and Mexico. Germany is also among the 10 largest exporters to the US. According to the German Steel Industry Association, the US is the most important sales market for the European steel industry. The United States sources aluminium primarily from Canada, the United Arab Emirates, China and South Korea. Trump has already announced, threatened or implemented numerous other tariffs with the stated aim of securing better trade agreements. It is still unclear how the EU will respond to the latest measure. The European Commission sharply criticized the US president's announcement at the weekend and threatened a response before the summer. However, according to the latest information, talks have continued and have been described as "very constructive." Another meeting between EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is planned for Wednesday in Paris. If Trump sticks to his decision, the EU could impose counter-tariffs at short notice.
