Protesters gather in Central Park following the release of a video showing an Israeli-American hostage-taking in New Jersey

NEW YORK CITY – A weekly rally in Central Park on Sunday calling for the release of all hostages took on added significance after Hamas released a video showing an Israeli-American hostage from New Jersey.

In the disturbing footage of the hostage situation, the 20-year-old can be seen covering his face and crying. Edan Alexander, a dual American-Israeli citizen, served in the military Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when he was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attacks.

The rally took place at 11 a.m. at 90th Street and Central Park West.

Alexander’s father, Adi Alexander, spoke at the rally.

In the photos, Alexander appeared gaunt and pale. The hostage explained that he had been detained for over 420 days, delivering coerced messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President-elect Trump.

On Saturday, National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Sean Savett said the White House was aware of the recordings and was in contact with Alexander’s family.

A woman holds a picture of hostage Edan Alexander during the Global Day of Unity and Prayer with Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of those captured by Palestinian Hamas militants, October 7, 2023.

“The hostage video released today by American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander is a cruel reminder of Hamas’ terror against citizens of several countries, including our own,” he said.

“The war in Gaza would end tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately – and would have ended months ago – if Hamas had agreed to release the hostages,” Savette added. “She has refused to do so, but as the president said last week, we have a crucial opportunity to finalize the agreement to release the hostages, end the war and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

Savett also promised that President Biden “will continue to work around the clock” to secure the release of the hostages in Gaza.

The release of the footage came days after the IDF and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group, agreed to a deal 60 day ceasefire in Lebanon. In announcing the deal on Tuesday, Biden acknowledged that Hamas was unwilling to release its hostages.

“Far too many civilians in Gaza have suffered far too much,” the president said in the Rose Garden of the White House. “And Hamas has refused for months to negotiate a good ceasefire and a hostage-taking agreement.”

Alexander’s parents, Yael and Adi Alexander, appeared on “Fox & Friends” last month to talk about their son. During the interview, New Jersey residents described a meeting they had with Trump.

“I was just telling (Trump) about Edan, what a Jersey boy he is,” Yael said. “I told the president that the people who were rescued in mid-November saw Edan in the tunnels, and they told me that he spoke to them and told everyone that he was an American citizen.”

“He tried to calm everyone down and say, ‘Listen, you’re all civilians. They’ll be out soon, very quickly. Don’t worry about it.’ “It gave us a lot of strength to know that Edan was strong and comforting others on October 7,” she added.