Residents lined the streets of a New Jersey town to welcome home Israeli-American hostage

TENAFLY, NJ (AP) — Edan Alexander, an American-born Israeli soldier and believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, has returned home to New Jersey.

Hundreds of cheering supporters, many waving Israeli flags and holding “Welcome Home Edan” signs, lined the streets of Tenafly on Thursday to greet his passing vehicle. A smiling Alexander held his arm out the passenger side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd.

The militant group Hamas released Alexander, 21, on May 12 after 584 days. Alexander has been in Israel since he was freed. Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly, the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives.

Alexander was 19 when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip. He was among the 251 people taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after finishing high school and enlisted in the military.

Since his capture, there’s been a huge outpouring of support for Alexander in Tenafly, located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population. The community held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages. Many gathered in May to celebrate Alexander’s release.

“Idan’s return is the return of everybody’s child, every organization, every family, every Israeli family, and non-Israeli, and non-Jews,” Orly Chen, a Tenafly resident, told CBS News New York on Thursday.