Hamas To Release Bergen County Teen Held In Gaza: Reports

NORTH JERSEY — The terror group Hamas released a statement Friday saying it may release a Bergen County man, who has been held since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, according to reports in the New York Times, Times of Israel, and other outlets.

Edan Alexander, a Tenafly High School graduate, was serving in the Israeli Defense Forces near the Gaza Strip on that October morning when Hamas kidnapped him, said Gov. Phil Murphy in 2023 at a vigil in Hoboken days after the attack. Alexander was at first reported missing.

Murphy said at the time, “We pray for his swift safe return, and we pray for every family in New Jersey and across the country with loved ones who are still unaccounted for."

On that morning, the militant group Hamas killed as many as 1,200 people, including children, and kidnapped hundreds of others off the street. Among those killed were more than 200 attending a music festival, according to international media reports.

It was the bloodiest day in Israel since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago, the BBC reported at the time.

Among those kidnapped was a mother and her young children who were taken from their kibbutz and killed. Their bodies were recently released.

Hamas said Friday that besides releasing Alexander, they will release he bodies of four "dual nationals," said media reports.

At least 40,000 Palestinian adults and children have also died in the Gaza conflict, international outlets have said, and some have suggested the death toll is higher.

RELATED: Increased Security At NJ Houses Of Worship After Attacks On Israel