Relatives of Abigail Mor Idan, a four-year-old American girl kidnapped by Hamas, received a “miracle” when she was returned alive in November, and now they are sharing her story and organizing a campaign. We are doing our best to promote it. Demanding freedom for the more than 130 hostages remaining in Gaza.
Abigail’s great-aunt, Liz Hirsh Naftali, said the family needed to stay safe as she continues to recover from the trauma of an Israeli-American girl dying in front of her parents and spending 50 days in captivity. He told the Post that he is focusing on The freedom of other hostages believed to be alive, including five Americans, was also taken away.
“When Abigail came home, I thought, how can I help others?” Naftali said of the family bonded over the shared pain of waiting for their loved ones to be released. Told.
“What we can do is share her story and remind people that this is also a story about Americans who were murdered, kidnapped and pulled back to Gaza,” she added.
At first, no one believed Abigail was alive when Hamas broke into her family home in Kibbutz Kfar Azha and shot her parents, Roy Idan and Smadar Idan.
In a final act of fatherly love, Roy protects Abigail from bullets, covers the child with his bloody body, and helps her avoid detection by Hamas.
Covered in her father’s blood, the then three-year-old went to a neighbor’s house, but dozens of Hamas operatives arrived to kidnap her and the Brodachs and take them to Gaza.
During her 50 days in captivity, Abigail was cared for by her loving mother, Hager Brodus, who looked after her and her three children until she was finally released in a brief cease-fire in November. Ta.
“The moment she came back to us, we felt like we could start moving forward,” Naftali said, calling the emotional moment a “miracle.”
And part of moving forward is for other family members who have yet to be reunited, including relatives of Edan Alexander, Sagui Deker-Cheng, Omer Neutra, Hersh Goldberg Pollin, and Keith Siegel. It is to fight against. While his first four are Israeli-American, Mr. Siegel is the only American citizen.
Naftali said the group had recently suffered a blow with the confirmed killing of Itai Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli-American IDF sergeant who was abducted by Hamas on October 7, and his father Ruby Chen. said he was very distraught. He maintained his belief for months that his son was still alive.
Despite her defeat, Ruby continues to demand the freedom of the other hostages and the return of her son’s body. Written in an editorial for USA Today He said last week that he and his wife “refused to be numbed by pain.”
“We will continue to fight harder than ever until Itai and all the hostages are released from captivity and reunited with their families,” Ruby wrote.
Naftali echoed Ruby’s words, saying that while she and other parents are suffering, not knowing if their children will be alive in six months, their fellow countrymen are still suffering under Hamas. He described him as a hero who is trying to educate the American people.
He also called on Americans to contact their local representatives in Congress to ensure that the United States continues to fight for freedom in ongoing hostage negotiations with negotiators from Qatar and Egypt.
“I also ask everyone to join local demonstrations and rallies to show support for the hostages and understand the real story here,” Naftali said. “Remember, these are Americans who were attacked and kidnapped by a terrorist group.
“We want people to understand the lives behind these stories.”
