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That's what President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters Thursday, March 6, as negotiations intensify for the release of the 20-year-old Tenafly, NJ native still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
Alexander is the only remaining Israeli-American hostage believed to still be alive in captivity, the NY Times reports. Witkoff, speaking on the former president’s behalf, expressed frustration with Hamas, calling for immediate transparency in the hostage situation.
"We feel Hamas has not been forthright with us, and it’s time for them to be," Witkoff said. "Edan Alexander would be a very important show."
Witkoff confirmed the U.S. is in direct talks with Hamas via special envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler.
Alexander was among those kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Last November, Hamas released a video, in which he is seen pleading for his life.
Trump, according to Witkoff, has reached his limit. "It’s fairly clear the president is saying, ‘I’ve had enough,’" he added, detailing the brutal conditions hostages have faced. "There’s a lot of mistreatment, a lot of conversation among these hostages about the deprivation they went through, the murders they saw," he said, citing conversations between freed hostages following their releases. "The president said, ‘It’s unacceptable.’ I don’t think you alert everybody how you’re going to negotiate, but I wouldn’t test President Trump."
Witkoff did not disclose specifics on the next steps, but his remarks signal the Trump team is ramping up pressure to secure Alexander’s release.
"The president has issued a statement on what’s acceptable to him and what’s not," Witkoff said. "Hopefully, we’ll see some good conduct next week, and I’ll be able to go in there and have some discussions."
This week, Edan's parents, Yael and Adi, attended a private reception in Washington DC for hostages and their families.
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