Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) led an official House Select Committee on Intelligence trip to Qatar this past weekend with one primary goal in mind: securing the release of Edan Alexander, a resident of Gottheimer’s 5th congressional district who was captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

“In Qatar, I spent constructive and productive time with the lead negotiators focused on one core objective – to bring home the last living American hostage, my constituent, 21-year-old American Edan Alexander,” Gottheimer said in a statement this morning.

Alexander, a native of Tenafly, served in the Israel Defense Forces and was patrolling near Gaza when Hamas launched its attack on Israel, per a recent Fox News profile. Though many American, Israeli, and Palestinian hostages have been released by both sides as part of an ongoing ceasefire deal, Alexander was not one of them; he, along with the bodies of four American hostages, is still being held by Hamas.

Gottheimer said that his trip to Qatar, which included meetings with the Qatari prime minister and other lead local negotiators, also focused on returning other hostages home safely, delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, and positioning the region for more stability in the future.

“We must get every hostage home,” he added. “The United States should never leave any man or woman behind. We must also focus on the second phase of the American-backed deal that will see the release of the remaining hostages. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I will not rest until every single hostage, including the five remaining Americans, are brought home.”