Abigail Idan, at just 4 years old, has had one of the hardest and most traumatic experiences imaginable. The little Israeli – of American nationality – was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen and released this Sunday after 50 days in captivity, along with 13 other Hebrew citizens and three Thais. The dramatic event that will forever mark his life was not the kidnapping by the Palestinian Islamist group, but seeing first-hand members of that group Hamas They massacred their parents as they wreaked havoc Kibbutz Kfar Aza on the morning of October 7, when more than two thousand terrorists attacked several Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip in a surprise operation that took the Jewish army by surprise.
Abigail saw her mother Smadar killed before her eyes and then ran towards her Father Roee, who protected her with his body while the terrorists shot him. Abigail “crawled out from under her father’s body covered in blood,” Israeli writer Liz Hirsh Naftali told NBC. scaredThe minor ran to a neighbor’s house, where she was kidnapped along with the other Israelis who were inside.
The American President, Joe Biden, Shocked by this girl’s story, he recalled that Abigail turned four last Friday, November 24, in complete captivity, and emphasized the “terrible trauma” she had to go through because of her mother and father were murdered in their eyes.
“Abigail’s story was in many ways a microcosm of the horrors experienced by Hamas on October 7,” the Times of Israel newspaper wrote in a statement to reporters, citing statements from a government official. Biden apparently brought up the delicate situation of the little girl in almost every phone call with his Israeli counterparts, Qataris and Egyptians, the senior administration official said.
Abigail’s siblings Michael, 9, and Amalya, 6, were with her when their mother was killed, and the two hid in a closet for 14 hours until they were finally rescued.
“We are delighted that Abigail is now home and back in the loving arms of her extended family. “He will receive the care and attention he needs from the Israelis and we are also ready to provide him with all appropriate support,” the official added. In statements to the press following the minor’s return, her grandfather Carmel thanked Biden for his support and help. “We love him very much for all the help he gives us for Israel. Go on. Go on. We don’t admire you. We love you,” he said.
In the first two days of the ceasefire, Palestinian militias freed 58 Israeli hostages, 14 Thais, a Filipino and a Russian, while Israel released 78 Palestinian prisoners. The agreement calls for the release of 50 Israeli women and minors in exchange for about 150 Palestinians.
“This agreement is structured to be expanded to further build on these results. That is my goal,” emphasized Biden. “Our goal is for this ceasefire to last beyond tomorrow so that more hostages can leave and more humanitarian aid can arrive in Gaza for those who need it,” he stressed. However, he warned against it “Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is taken for granted.” “It is a process that we observe day by day and hour by hour,” he explained.
Biden also defended the two-state horizon as “the only way to ensure the long-term security of the Israeli and Palestinian people and ensure that they live equally in freedom and dignity.”