Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended efforts to return prisoners in Gaza by meeting with the family of captured U.S. and Israeli citizen soldier Edan Alexander after Hamas’ military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, released a video. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced Netanyahu’s meeting with Alexander’s parents. Netanyahu claimed to share the family’s pain and defended efforts to return prisoners in Gaza. Meanwhile, the prisoner’s family in the U.S. criticized the government for entering the Jewish holy Passover holiday without their child who immigrated to Israel and joined the army after the video was released. In the video published by the al-Qassam Brigades, dual U.S.-Israeli citizen soldier Alexander noted that U.S. President Donald Trump had fallen victim to lies from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Accusing Netanyahu of taking over the state like a dictator every day, Alexander lamented being abandoned in Gaza, despite Hamas allegedly being ready to release him three weeks earlier. He questioned why he was not with his family and why he was filming a second video that day, expressing disbelief in Trump’s ability to get him out alive and questioning why he fell victim to Netanyahu’s lies. The al-Qassam Brigades had previously released another video of Alexander addressing Trump after Trump was elected U.S. president in November 2024, with his family’s approval.