The American-Israeli host

London – The American-Israeli rehelo Edan Alexander, who had been held captive by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, was released on Monday after successful negotiations between the United States and the terrorist organization, said the IFF.

The Red Cross International Committee transferred Alexander de Gaza to the Israeli authorities, the organization said.

Alexander, 21, was able to talk to his mother, Yael, by phone for the first time when he was in the convoy of Israel’s defense forces, an Israeli official told ABC News.

“You are strong, you are protected, you are at home,” Yael said by phone, according to a video posted by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister. “We will find ourselves soon. I love you.”

Alexander, 21, has reached a point of reception in southern Israel for his first medical evaluation and to meet with his family, said the FDI. Other family members are waiting for him at the hospital, said the IDF.

Israeli security officials told ABC News that there would be a temporary pause in combat, air attacks and air recognition in the Gaza area, where Alexander would be released. The pause was expected to last until Alexander cross the Israeli territory, authorities said.

Alexander, a native of New Jersey, moved to Israel at the age of 18. He was serving in the IDF when he was captured from his base near the Gaza border during the October 7 attack of Hamas. He was 19 when he was kidnapped and has had two birthday while he was in captivity.

Alexander was the last living American citizen who still believed that Hamas was held by Hamas. It is believed that the terrorist group also supports the bodies of four dead American hostages, according to US officials.

Alexander’s supporters have gathered in Tel Aviv and Tenafly, New Jersey, to celebrate their release.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video message called Alexander’s release “a very moving moment.”

Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump, proving Alexander’s release to “military pressure and political pressure exerted by President Trump.”

Netanyahu said Trump told him Monday: “I am committed to Israel. I am committed to continue working with you in close cooperation, to achieve all our war goals: to free all hostages and defeat Hamas.”

Trump, who received Alexander’s parents at the time of multiple of the White House, said Monday before his release: “They thought he was dead recently. His parents are very happy.”

“He is returning home with his parents, which is really great news,” Trump said.

Trump wrote in Truth Social that Alexander’s launch “is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.”

The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, also celebrated his launch, saying in a statement, “with every day Edan has been hostage, the Alexander family has suffered unimaginable pain, uncertainty and fear. With the return of Edan home, his prayers have finally been answered.”

“We continue to pray for Edan and the Alexander family,” said the governor, adding: “We are also praying for the safety and well -being of each remaining hostage and an innocent family in Israel, Gaza and the entire Middle East.”

The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in a statement through his spokesman, welcomed Alexander’s freedom and renewed “his urgent call for a high immediate and permanent fire.”

He also said that “the aid is not negotiable” and asked that “all parties immediately ensure that rapid humanitarian relief, without obstacles and safe” is transferred to “all civilians needy.”

Hamas announced his intention to free Alexander on Sunday, describing the decision as a “part of the steps taken to achieve a high fire.”

The statement said that Hamas had been in contact with US officials “in recent days” as part of the Alto El Fuego negotiations.

An American official familiar with the agreement to free Alexander told ABC News that the agreement joined in recent days through direct conversations between the United States and Hamas.

Alexander’s launch looks as a gesture of goodwill towards the Trump administration and a possible opening to boost conversations that surround the broader conflict, US officials said to ABC News.

Even so, the authorities said that the United States did not secure all the concessions it was looking for. The negotiators had also been pressing Hamas for the release of the remains of the four dead American hostages that are still held in Gaza, authorities said.

The Missing Hosages and Families forum said in a statement that “the launch of Edan is a ray of light and hope, but also a marked reminder” of the remaining hostages that are still held.

Hostage families also issued a statement that is directed directly to Netanyahu, urging him to “announce tonight that he is ready to negotiate a comprehensive agreement to bring home the 58 hostages and establish a frame to finish the war.”

The Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, in a statement promised that Israel is “committed to acting in every way until all the kidnapped, our brothers and sisters, both living and dead, return to their homeland.”

Fifty -seven hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 that are believed to be alive.

Alexander was one of the 253 hostages taken during the October 7 attack of Hamas, in which they also killed some 1,200 people, according to Israel.

Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza had killed 52,829 people and wounded 119,554 more from Sunday, according to the figures published by the Hamas Ministry of Health in the Strip.

ABC News’ Emily Shapiro, Shannon K. Kingston and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.