‘Feels like a miracle’ after girl, 4, is released
On Oct. 7, she witnessed her parents’ killings, before being abducted. On Friday, nearly seven weeks later, she spent her 4th birthday while under captivity. And Sunday, she was finally freed, as one of the hostages Hamas released under a deal with Israel.
Her name is Avigail Idan. Avigail, whose name has also been spelled “Abigail” in US media reports, is a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, and was among the roughly 240 people, including around 10 American citizens, taken as hostages by Hamas on Oct. 7.
After Avigail’s release, several members of her family reacted with relief. “We are blessed to give her lots of love and care and to help her build her life again,” Tal Idan, her aunt, wrote in a text message. “Feels like a miracle that came true,” she added.
Liz Hirsh Naftali and Noa Naftali, her great-aunt and cousin, said in a statement that they had “hoped and prayed today would come,” thanking President Biden and the Qatari government, which helped broker the cease-fire deal.
Avigail’s case has received wide attention, particularly in the United States, where several of her relatives are based in California. Biden expressed relief over the news of her release. “Thank God she’s home,” Biden told reporters in Nantucket. “I wish I was there to hold her.”
Avigail’s parents, Roy Idan, 43, and Smadar Idan, 38, were fatally shot at the Kfar Aza kibbutz in the October attack. The family has said that Roy Idan was holding Avigail in his arms when he was killed, while her siblings, Michael and Amelia, watched the tragedy unfold.
Covered in her father’s blood, Avigail ran toward a neighbor, Tal Idan, said. The neighbor brought Avigail into his home to hide with his wife and children and then left the house to find a gun. “Ten minutes later, when he got back, all were gone,” Tal Idan said. Tal Idan and her husband, Amit, have been taking care of Avigail’s siblings, who survived the attack.
While several hostages have been reunited with their loved ones in the three days since the cease-fire began, many families are still waiting for news about their relatives still in captivity.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, a US citizen, is one of the people still being held by Hamas. Goldberg-Polin, who was born in Berkeley, Calif., was at a music festival in southern Israel when Hamas attacked. Members of his family believe he is in desperate need of medical attention because part of his arm was blown off by a grenade the assailants threw before abducting him.
While awaiting news regarding his son, Jon Polin said he was “thrilled” for every hostage released and for their families.
“That being said, I want my son home, and I want all of the hostages home,” he said.