Residents line streets of New Jersey town to welcome home Israeli-American held hostage in Gaza

TENAFLY NJ AP Edan Alexander an American-born Israeli soldier and held to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza has returned home to New Jersey Hundreds of cheering supporters a great number of waving Israeli flags and holding Welcome Home Edan signs lined the streets of Tenafly on Thursday to greet his passing car A radiating Alexander held his arm out the client side window to wave and touch the hands of people in the crowd The militant group Hamas published Alexander on May after days Alexander has been in Israel since he was freed Thursday marked his first trip home to Tenafly the suburb of New York City where he grew up and where his family still lives Alexander was when militants stormed his base in Israel and dragged him into the Gaza Strip He was among the people taken hostage in Hamas Oct attack Alexander moved to Israel in after finishing high school and enlisted in the military Since his capture there s been a huge outpouring of aid for Alexander in Tenafly located in a county with a large Jewish and Israeli-American population The neighborhood held regular walks to raise awareness about him and the other hostages Multiple gathered in May to celebrate Alexander s release Idan s return is the return of everybody s child every organization every family every Israeli family and non-Israeli and non-Jews Orly Chen a Tenafly resident communicated CBS News New York on Thursday