After 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas, five Americans are still being held hostage in Gaza, but only one of them is still alive.

Israeli, American and ten of native Edan Alexander, who was taken captive on Oct. 7, 2023, as a member of the Israeli military at just 19 years old.

Now at 21, the ten fly high school graduate is at the center of negotiations between U.S. and Middle East officials over the next phase of the cease fire deal.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer has been among the most vocal federal leaders demanding the release of all hostages.

And in particular, Edan, whose family are his constituents.

Gottheimer just returned from an unannounced trip to Qatar, where he had one primary goal bringing Edan Alexander home.

The congressman and a dance father, Adi Alexander, joins me now for the latest.

Congressman, thank you both for your time today.

Adi, I want to start with you.

Given how fragile, this next phase of the ceasefire deal appears to be, how hopeful are you that he, don, will be among the hostages released?

I mean, it's really fragile.

And the deal, never was perfect.

The way it was constructed, moving from the first raid to the second.

But, we have to remain hopeful.

The hope is mandatory.

And, it's really up to our, new team, our new negotiating team, to reshuffle the cards and, get this, negotiations for the second part, phase, started.

What's your take on how these negotiations are going?

I mean, your family, of course, has, if I can take the liberty to say, has become an emblem of that hope and strength.

This, of course, is a deal that was put out there, you know, many, many months ago that we're now seeing play out.

I mean, what's your take on how this is going and how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has handled it?

Just to be exact, this deal was, put together back in December of 2023.

So we're talking about more than a year ago.

Now, in regards of the, President Netanyahu, really right now, we I will only urge to him and the only message that we would like to convey is to maybe to extend, the first phase, get as many as, possible, people out.

I would say that let's get everybody out in one shot.

Okay, all for all.

And just let's end this.

What what was your reaction then, Audie, this weekend when we learned, that Israel would would hold those 600 Palestinian prisoners.

Given the nature of how the hostages were released, what was your reaction to what that might do to the future of Jordan being brought back home?

It's really, I was disturbed at once, but, from my understanding, the negotiation is about releasing those prisoners.

For the remaining full bodies of the hostages are in process.

Hopefully we will see in the coming days this release, being executed.

And, I'm hopeful that we not on the verge of, sabotaging the deal and collapsing the collapsing this deal again.

Congressman, this was an unannounced trip that you made.

Can you walk us through who you met with and, if you have any confidence, that Don will be brought home in this next phase.

I do, and listen, my my, primary objective for going to Qatar and to meeting with the prime minister or other senior negotiators of, the Qatar government.

And, of course, our officials on the ground.

And one objective to get a don home and to do everything we can to make sure the process keeps moving forward, whether he comes home in the, in phase one, as Mr. Alexander just pointed to or in phase two.

But the bottom line is this we have to keep the process going.

We will leave no American behind the Don.

It's the last American who's there, and we have to bring him home.

And, and frankly, there should be nothing stopping us from working this every hour of every day until that happens.

Do you think, Congressman, that the Trump administration and Israeli leaders are doing enough at this point?

And I think you need to keep the pressure on everybody all the time.

And until I don and the other hostages, and the other Americans who who unfortunately, are no longer alive, we have until all of them are home.

We have to keep the pressure on.

And that's what I thank for all parties, by the way, on all the parties and, and, and that includes keeping the pressure on, on this administration, on, of course, the leadership, in Qatar, which is why I was there and, and, and the Israeli leadership, it appears that this phase of the cease fire is going to end, at the end of this week.

Congressman, what can you tell us about what you learned and about, any concerns you might have for whether or not phase two will begin at, at all?

Well, listen, I, I think based on my conversations and I can't get into the specifics, obviously, it was an intelligence committee.

Trips like I'm limited in what I can discuss, but I'll say that based on the discussions I had.

I'm optimistic that we'll keep moving forward here right in phase one.

And then both finishing phase one.

And, you know, and making sure that we as, as Mr. Alexander said that, that may include bringing more home in phase one, which I'm hopeful for or moving to phase two.

And listen, these are difficult.

These are difficult discussions.

They were always going to be difficult.

We knew that the key is just to keep everyone at the table and working these discussions.

They just had meetings in the last days.

We have to keep those conversations going.

Obviously I obviously I'm working on that from, from my end and working with engaging our government.

But also it's why I was in Qatar, right.

To make it very clear that our expectations that they stay at the table, they keep, working all the party, you know, working with all the parties and that we we keep moving forward here and none of us rest until a is home.

Audie.

Of course, there was that video in November, of Don.

It was really the only proof of life, that that your family that the public was given.

Has there been any communication at all?

Between your family and your son since he was taken October 7th?

No, we we had absolutely zero communication with them, except for the last phone call on October 7th when he not called.

My wife, his mom, saying that he sees terrible stuff.

And it's, looks like World War three here.

But he feels protected.

But right after, the the post that we served on was surrounded by so many terrorists.

So he had to surrender.

And, last, sign of life, we we have from him.

It's actually this, Hamas video that was released on the Thanksgiving's weekend.

I imagine, Audie, that the closer you get to Don's release, the harder it gets.

How are you and your family continuing to keep this strength?

I mean, clearly on that video, that was released, he asked from the family to be strong.

So, I, we took a lot of strength from this video first, because it was, sign of life, clear sign of life.

And the address to President Trump.

And he addressed us, urging us to stay, to stay strong, to remain strong.

And, this is what we do.

We have to keep fighting for our for our boy.

Congressman, how far are you willing to go in your federal capacity to make sure this happens?

Well, clearly, as I was, the reason I got on a plane to Qatar this weekend is because of just the.

Not only is that Edan Alexander, an American, a 21 year old boy, went to, to Tenafly high school, and, the swim team is just an All-American good kid.

But, you know, how could you not do everything as a as.

I'm a parent, too.

And I wake up every day and I think about what the Alexanders are going through, and you hear the strength.

They're just.

Just incredible people.

And I, I, I can't say enough of just, how moved I am by them and how much strength they give me to wake up and do what I'm doing every single day and to not back down for a second.

And, and so I'm never going to stop fighting.

And until he's home, I can't wait for him to come home and we will get him home.

We're not going to stop fighting.

That's what we do.

We keep fighting for all Americans.

We don't leave anyone behind.

And that means whatever it takes, I'm going to do it.

Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Adi Alexander, thank you both so much for your time.

Thank you.

Thank you.