Israelis watch on a screen the release of Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on May 12, 2025.
Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP
After hailing Alexander’s release, Emmanuel Macron took again to criticising Israel for its war against Hamas.
It appears there is no act of terror serious enough to convince Brussels officials that Israel’s aim of destroying Hamas is correct.
Since his release on Monday, it has emerged that American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander was held in a cage and repeatedly tortured by Hamas terrorists.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier told officials that he was shackled by his hands and feet for long periods and was kept mostly in a tunnel with no light. Alexander was also reportedly given only starvation rations, other than in the last few weeks when Hamas will have been mindful of his condition in the international public eye.
The story has received minimal coverage. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on the Tuesday after Alexander’s release that Israel’s aid block on Gaza—which officials say is “one of the central pressure tools that stops Hamas from using this means against the population”—was “shameful.”
Relief after the release of Edan Alexander. Every life returned to freedom is a victory and a step toward peace.
We do not forget the hostages still held by Hamas — they must be released without delay.
I am counting on @POTUS and his crucial visit to the region.…
Benjamin Netanyahu responded that “Macron has once again chosen to stand with a murderous Islamist terrorist organisation and echo its despicable propaganda, accusing Israel of blood libels.”
Instead of supporting the Western democratic camp fighting the Islamist terrorist organisations and calling for the release of the hostages, Macron is once again demanding that Israel surrender and reward terrorism.
Israel will not stop and will not surrender.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, on the other hand, demanded “justice for all of those still held hostage” and said America stands “with Israel in the fight to eliminate Hamas.”
Hamas terrorists brutally tortured Edan Alexander and held him hostage for 19 months. Thanks to @POTUS’s strength and leadership, Edan on his way home.
We’re glad he’s heading home but this should have never happened.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 12, 2025
Netanyahu said Alexander’s release was thanks to “our military pressure and the political pressure exerted by President Trump”—not, of course, by European leaders—hailing this as a “winning combination.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
