Day 585 - Caged and tortured in Gaza, Edan Alexander returns home

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Released hostage Edan Alexander is back in his family's embrace in Israel and is recovering from his 584 days in Hamas captivity. We hear what we know so far about Alexander's health and the conditions in which he was kept. 

A few hours after the final living US-Israeli hostage was released by his Hamas captors, the IDF says that its forces carried out a “targeted attack” on “key” Hamas fighters who were operating a command center in the Nasser Hospital compound in Khan Younis. Among those reported killed is Palestinian journalist Hassan Eslaiah, who on October 7 was freelancing for the Associated Press and invaded Israel with the terrorists and photographed them entering Kibbutz Nir Oz, where dozens of civilians were massacred. Was he the target of the airstrike?

Nour Bitawi, a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative who Israeli authorities say was planning imminent terror attacks, was killed by troops Friday in the West Bank city of Nablus. Fabian explains who Bitawi was and how significant this mission could be. 

The Mossad spy agency and the Israel Defense Forces recovered the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, who went missing in the First Lebanon War’s battle of Sultan Yacoub in 1982. The battle, nearly 43 years ago, claimed the lives of 21 Israeli servicemen, and more than 30 were injured during it. Feldman, a tank soldier, went missing during the battle along with Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz and Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel. Baumel’s remains were recovered and returned to Israel in 2019.
Fabian describes how the body of Feldman was recently recovered from “the heart of Syria” in a special operation.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander freed from Hamas captivity, reunites with family

IDF says it razed major tunnel in Rafah after Hamas operatives provided location

IDF says terrorists near defeat in Rafah, fighting now limited to one neighborhood

IDF says ‘most wanted West Bank terror operative’ killed in Nablus operation

Body of soldier Zvi Feldman, missing for 43 years, recovered from Syria by Mossad, IDF

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch.

IMAGE: Released hostage soldier Staff Sgt. Edan Alexander, center, arrives at an IDF base near Re'im, May 12, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

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