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TENAFLY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A welcome celebration was held for released American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on Thursday afternoon in downtown Tenafly, New Jersey.

Alexander, now 21, moved to Israel at the age of 18 and joined the IDF.

He was 19 years old and actively serving in the Israeli military when he was captured during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

He was finally freed May 12 after 584 days in captivity.

Alexander flew back on an American Repatriation flight carrying diplomats and their family members from Israel.

On Thursday afternoon, the streets of Tenafly quickly filled with thousands friends and supporters in a show of support and unity.

American and Israeli flags were proudly displayed along the route with welcome home signs carried by supporters.

"We're excited to have him back, it's been a big deal you know a part of our town was missing and now he's finally home. So it's really nice for all of us to have him back," a Tenafly resident said.

Alexander was all smiles riding in the passenger seat and giving high-fives to several people on the parade route.

"It was a very surreal moment seeing him back home after all of this time. He looks great and being able to see the whole town come out and support him, its very good," a Tenafly resident said.

The entire route was covered with supporters who were praying for Alexander and his family while he was a captive for 584 days.

Now the hope is Alexander will have time to get used to being back among the people he grew up with and the community that prayed for his safe return.

"Thank God. This was a pure happiness to see him smiling in his car on the way home," another resident said.

Alexander was the last living American citizen still believed to be held by Hamas.

"We always believed that this moment will come, always," his father, Adi Alexander, told ABC News in an exclusive interview. "Hope is mandatory. It finally happened."

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CBS News New York has learned that Edan Alexander, a freed U.S.-Israeli hostage and New Jersey native, will return to his hometown of Tenafly on Thursday.

His father said Edan will fly back to the U.S. and then go to Tenafly, where the community is expected the line the streets to welcome him home.

"I want to tell you, Edan, we love you and we are so happy you're back," said Yitzchak Gershovitz, the Alexander family's rabbi. "This is our brother. Our son returns home and our hearts are full of joy and happiness. There's only one word, it's a miracle of God."

Edan Alexander's abduction and release

Alexander, now 21, grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Tenafly High School before moving to Israel, where he was serving in the Israeli military on Oct. 7, 2023, when he was abducted during the Hamas-orchestrated attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

Held in captivity for 584 days, Alexander was released on May 12 after a deal was brokered by the Trump administration. He was taken to a Tel Aviv hospital after his release, and is believed to be the last living American citizen held in Gaza.

Hundreds of family members, friends and supporters gathered at Huyler Park in Tenafly to watch a livestream of Alexander's release.

Edan Alexander remained hopeful throughout the ordeal, father says

At the time, his parents told CBS News their son had been held in underground tunnels and never saw daylight, but they did say they saw him pleading for his release on the news.

"I think the fact that he saw us, saw us running and fighting and knocking on every door, kept him hopeful. I think the fact that he was kept with other hostages and not by himself kept him hopeful," said Adi Alexander, Edan's father.

Hamas, a U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group, said at the time that it would release Alexander without conditions in the hope of working toward a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and renewing the flow of vital humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.

Alexander's return to New Jersey comes as the U.S. Embassy in Israel is dispatching evacuation flights and cruise ships for American citizens amid Israel's ongoing conflict with Iran.

Ali Bauman

Ali Bauman is a New York Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist who has been a general assignment reporter for CBS News New York since spring 2016.

BERGEN

3-minute read

NorthJersey.com

A jubilant cheer rose up from the crowd as the SUV carrying Edan Alexander rolled through Tenafly's downtown.

It was a hero's welcome as thousands lined the sidewalks and waited in the heat and rain to catch a glimpse of the 21-year-old, who was finally returning home after being held captive by Hamas for 584 days.

"Edan!" they chanted as he beamed and waved from the open window of the black SUV. Several young men ran close to the vehicle, and he gave them high-fives and handshakes. A woman grabbed his hand and kissed it.

Many waved their Israeli and American flags and held up their colorful homemade signs. A cluster sang "Am Yisrael Chai," Hebrew for "the nation of Israel lives." Others danced, jumped up and down or brushed away tears of joy.

"I'm so moved, I'm just speechless," said Rachel Brenner of Teaneck, who has been praying for Alexander's release daily. "I feel like he's my son. We're all family. Seeing him back here was so amazing."

Alexander was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he and 250 others were taken captive by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

The last known living U.S. citizen who was held in Gaza, Alexander was released on May 12 after a deal was reached by President Donald Trump's administration with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.

Lisa Schechter of Englewood held up a "kidnapped poster" — bearing Alexander's photo — that she has carried to numerous rallies over the past 19 months where she advocated for his release. She quipped that she doesn't know what to do with the sign now that Alexander is free.

"It's a collector's item," she said happily.

"We've all been praying for this moment. We're so happy he's home," Schechter said.

"But there are still hostages in Gaza, and we need to advocate for them, too," she said, referring to the 53 remaining captives there.

How is Edan Alexander connected to Tenafly?

Alexander was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in Tenafly, but after graduating from Tenafly High School in 2022, he opted to return to Israel and volunteered to serve in the army.

Adi and Yael Alexander actively campaigned for their son's release, regularly meeting with American and Israeli officials to keep the hostages on their radar. They spoke out at rallies and with the media about the need for a hostage deal.

Alexander endured hunger and torture during his captivity and was in poor physical shape after his release, Israeli media reported.

In Tenafly, where many residents have strong ties to Israel, signs with Alexander's photo are on front lawns and on storefronts. There have been weekly marches calling for the release of Alexander and the other Hamas hostages.

And on May 12, when Alexander was released, hundreds of friends and supporters also gathered in downtown Tenafly early in the morning to watch a livestream of the event and to celebrate.

Alexander's father, Adi Alexander, told NorthJersey.com and The Record in multiple interviews that his son had been held in underground tunnels. He also said he and his wife, Yael, found it difficult to watch the two propaganda videos that were recorded and released by Hamas in which a gaunt and visibly distraught Alexander pleaded for his release.

But the father never lost hope, even when the situation looked dire.

He continually expressed confidence that his son would return home to his family.

"I am optimistic," he repeated. "We are waiting. Not patiently, but waiting,"

On June 19, he was able to stop waiting.

The hometown hero is finally home.

Thousands of people across New Jersey and the nation celebrated the release of Tenafly native Edan Alexander on Monday after the 21-year-old American-Israeli man spent more than 19 months in Hamas captivity.

“For 19 excruciating months, we have all been hoping and praying alongside Edan’s family members for his safe release. With every day that Edan has been held hostage, the Alexander family has endured unimaginable pain, uncertainty and fear,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said. “With Edan’s return home, their — and our — prayers have finally been answered.”

Hundreds gathered for a watch party in Tenafly, where residents have marched every week for Alexander’s release since he was captured in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in southern Israel.

Alexander grew up in Bergen County and graduated from Tenafly High School before traveling to Israel and joining the country’s military. He was 19 years old when he was snatched from his post near the Gaza border during the Hamas attack.

After months of hoping and waiting, Monday brought a joyous scene in Tenafly, with residents cheering and watching on a giant screen as Alexander was pictured standing without assistance next to a Red Cross worker before his journey back into Israel.

The celebration was set up by Temple Sinai of Bergen County, after Hamas announced plans to release Alexander. It featured Israeli music and numerous attendees holding Alexander’s picture.

“He is honestly the strongest kid that I know, the strongest person that I know. So resilient throughout all of this,” Alexander’s friend Michael Leschner told WCBS. “We feel so honored and so relieved finally, like, this has just been such a long time coming and we love Edan so much.”

Alexander was believed to be the last living American citizen held by Hamas. During his time in captivity, the group forced Alexander to film a terrifying hostage video, in which he pleaded for help from President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The fear is at its peak, and we are dying a thousand times every day that passes, and no one feels for us,” Alexander said in the video.

Israel says 58 hostages remain in Gaza, an estimated 23 of whom are still alive. Hamas said it released Alexander as a goodwill gesture toward the U.S. government, and Israel did nothing in exchange for the release.

Trump departed Monday for his first Middle East tour during his second term. He is scheduled to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but not Israel.

Alexander “is coming home to his parents, which is really great news,” Trump said Monday at the White House.

Alexander’s parents, Adi and Yael, met him Monday at Israel’s Re’im army base. They were expected to travel from there to a hospital in Tel Aviv.

“Like everyone here in Jersey, I’m overwhelmed with emotion and joy,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), whose district includes Tenafly, said in a statement. “We will not rest until every last hostage is reunited with their families and loved ones.”

An American man held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip was released Monday, Hamas authorities said Monday around 11:30 a.m. ET.

Israeli authorities later said Alexander was with the Red Cross.

The backstory:

Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli soldier, was taken from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which set off the war in Gaza.

Local perspective:

Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Alexander moved to Israel at 18 to volunteer for military service in the IDF’s Golani Brigade. He lived with his grandparents in Tel Aviv and at Kibbutz Hazor, where he was part of a group of lone soldiers, FOX News reported.

FOX 5 NY's Arthur Chi'en spoke with members of the crowd awaiting Alexander's release.

"Usually you go to work on a Monday, but today it's Edan coming home… everyone is here to celebrate him coming home," a local told Chi'en.

By the numbers:

Alexander had been held for more than 19 months before his release Monday.

What they're saying:

Hamas announced over the weekend that they’d release Alexander as a goodwill gesture for the Trump administration.

Senior Fellow Katulis

Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute Brian Katulis spoke with FOX 5 about Alexander's release.

Katulis also discussed the implications the release might have on President Trump's relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Big picture view:

This was the first hostage release since Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March.

Israel was aware of the release, saying it had committed to a ceasefire or to free Palestinian prisoners as part of the release and that it had only agreed to create a "safe corridor" to allow for Alexander to be returned.

The release has created backlash against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with critics accusing him of having to rely on a foreign leader to help free the remaining hostages.

Dig deeper:

A statement from Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said the U.S. had told Israel that Alexander's release could lead to a new deal with Hamas to free more hostages.

Trump trip to Middle East

Meamwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to arrive in the Middle East on Tuesday on his first official foreign trip.

He said Sunday that the planned release is "a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones."

What's next:

Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.