Recent Tenafly High School graduate, Edan Alexander, was serving in the Israeli military, when Hamas attacked Israel. Now, he is missing among many other Americans. Adam Harding reports.
What to Know
- Itay Glisko, who was born in Paramus, was serving in Israel at the time of the attack. He initially went missing after the base where he was serving came under surprise attack by militants, and was later confirmed to be among those killed.
- The family of Edan Alexander, another soldier and a recent graduate of Tenafly High School, said they have not heard from him in days and are hoping he is still alive.
- A Long Island family confirmed their relative was one of the victims killed while attending a festival in southern Israel. Leah Turjman, 25, was identified as one of the victims murdered by Hamas during the attacks
The family of one Israeli-American soldier from New Jersey said that their loved one was killed in the attacks launched by Hamas, while another tri-state family is anxiously hoping to hear from their son who is missing.
Itay Glisko, who was born in Paramus, was serving in Israel at the time of the attack on Saturday. He initially went missing after the base where he was serving came under surprise attack by militants.
His family first spoke on Monday, holding out hope that Glisko was still alive and had been taken hostage. But they learned on Tuesday that the 20-year-old was confirmed to be among those killed.
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"It's terrible. First of all, the unknown for four days what happened and the hopes and the prayers and then the horrible news that came yesterday," said Mira Bashan, a relative of Glisko's. "His father told me when he first talked to me about Itay, he said 'I want you to know that Itay fought like a lion. He was so brave.'"
The family is planning on holding a funeral in Israel on Thursday.
Another family in New Jersey is still hoping and praying to hear from their son, who similarly was serving in Israel when the attacks broke out. The family of Edan Alexander, a recent graduate of Tenafly High School, said they have not heard from him in days.
"Right away I’m texting Edan, 'There’s sirens - are you safe, are you okay?'" said Yael Alexander, Edan's mother who is in Israel trying to find her son. "He’s telling me it’s crazy here we’re under attack he said I’m safe. I said 'Be safe and I love you,' I didn’t know this would be our last call."
Alexander was reportedly near Gaza when the attacks started over the weekend, but that was the last the family heard from him. His family said he'd always been passionate about his homeland and had long dreamed of helping to protect it. Alexander's mother said he felt "connected to this place."
In the days since they last heard from him, the family says they have been in touch with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. Alexander's father and siblings all flew to Israel over the weekend, as they wait for answers.
"As of now there’s no answer about his condition. So he hasn’t been found — this area, of the Israeli side, has already been searched through. And there’s no evidence of anything of him. Meaning nothing positive and nothing negative," said the father, Adi Alexander.
His best friend, Amit, was also in Israel when the violence erupted. He got on one of the last flights out.
"It’s been very hard not knowing what’s going on with him," the friend said. "I think if you don’t stay positive, then it’ll eat away at you. If you see online and what Hamas is doing to Jews and Israeli, it’s really demoralizing."
Alexander graduated from Tenafly High School in 2022, and his sister still attends the school. The community is coming together, praying for his safe return.
"Sometimes you think positively — maybe he ran away, maybe he felt something, maybe he’s hiding…Maybe he’s being [held] captive, God forbid something else," said Adi Alexander. "It’s a roller coaster. You go through an emotional roller coaster. But we have other kids and we have to stay strong for them."
Elsewhere, a Long Island family confirmed their loved one was one of the victims killed while attending a festival in southern Israel. Leah Turjman, 25, was identified as one of the victims murdered by Hamas during the attacks. Her mother's cousin, who lives in Great Neck, first reported Turjman missing and was hopeful for a safe return, but confirmed the tragic news Wednesday.
