A four-year-old American-Israeli girl has been reunited with her family after both her parents were murdered by Hamas before she was taken as a hostage to Gaza and held hostage for 49 days.
Abigail Edan was the youngest hostage – and the first American – released on Sunday during a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that is now expected to last two additional days.
She was pictured on Monday at the Hatzerim airforce base with her aunt Liron and grandmother Shlomit and then with more relatives at the Schneider Hospital near Tel Aviv where doctors said she was ‘doing remarkably well’.
On October 7, Hamas militants stormed her kibbutz, Kfar Azza, and killed her parents, 43-year-old Roy Edan and 40-year-old Smadar Edan. The girl crawled from under her father’s lifeless body and ran to a neighbor’s home for shelter, and the Brodutch family took her in as the rampage raged. All five – Abigail, Hagar Brodutch and her three children – then disappeared and were later confirmed to be captives.
Abigail had a birthday on November 24 while she was held.
The first images of Abigail Edan’s reunion with her grandmother and aunt after she was taking hostage by Hamas following her parents’ murder by the terrorist group
Abigail is seen with her aunt Liron, third left, her uncle Zuli, second right and her grandparents Shlomit, right, and Eitan at Schneider Children’s Medical Center on Monday
The little girl’s parents, 43-year-old Roy Edan and 40-year-old Smadar Edan, were gunned down when Hamas militants stormed their kibbutz in southern Israel
The Brodutch family was also in the group, ranging in age from 4 to 84, released Sunday. Red Cross representatives transferred the hostages out of Gaza.
Some were handed over directly to Israel, while others left through Egypt. Israel’s army said one was airlifted directly to a hospital.
As a dual US-Israeli citizen, President Joe Biden had taken a personal interest in her release and welcomed news that she was among the latest batch freed on Sunday.
‘Thank God she’s home,’ Biden said told reporters. ‘I wish I were there to hold her… Today she’s free, and Jilly and I, together with so many Americans, are praying for the fact that she is going to be alright.’
Netanyahu issued a video statement after speaking with Biden. He talked about the happiness of bringing Abigail home, but also the sadness that her parents were killed. ‘She has no parents, but she has an entire nation that hugs her, and we will take care of all her needs,’ he said.
Abigail’s story was particularly horrific, and she became a symbol of the bloody massacre after it emerged she had seen her parents Roee and Smadar murdered in front of her.
Her two older brothers hid in a wardrobe for 14 hours and managed to survive but she was found wandering around covered in her father’s blood by neighbour Avihai Brodutch who took her to his house.
Abigail is seen with an IDF soldier shorty after her release by Hamas
The Israel-American girl celebrated her fourth birthday in captivity on November 24
He later left the house to fight the terrorists and when he returned found his wife Hagar, 39, and their three children Ofri, 10, Yuval, eight and Uriah, four, had disappeared.
Israeli superstar singer Lior Narkis and his wife Vanunu even posted on his Instagram that they would like to adopt Abigail.
He added: ‘For whole days and nights all the people of Israel saw her sweet smile in the face of our suffering, we wished for a moment t that she and all the other abductees would return home, we are praying for everyone.’
The terror group has been keeping captives since its October 7 surprise attack on Israel that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead. Over 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli counteroffensive.
State Department officials have yet to release the names of the other American hostages. A total of 10 Americans are currently unaccounted for.
Of the 17 hostages released Sunday, 14 were Israeli, while three were foreign citizens.
According to the White House, Biden and Netanyahu agreed the work was not yet done. Biden described the negotiations as a day-by-day, hour-by-hour process and said he would continue working until all hostages were free.
Hostages were set free over Friday and Saturday, but Sunday marked the first time an Americans was released
‘All of these hostages have been through a terrible ordeal, and this is the beginning of a long journey of healing for them,’ President Joe Biden said Friday
‘Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is being taken for granted. But the proof that this is working and worth pursuing further is in every smile and every grateful tear we see on the faces of those families who are finally getting back together again. The proof is little Abigail,’ the president said.
Biden said in remarks from Nantucket, the Massachusetts islands where he spent Thanksgiving with his family, that the cease-fire agreement was ‘delivering lifesaving results.’
Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal Sunday. A fourth exchange was expected on Monday — the last day of the cease-fire during which a total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners were to be freed. All are women and minors.
Before a deal was reached on Monday, Netanyahu reiterated his offer to extend the cease-fire by an additional day for every 10 hostages Hamas releases. But he also said Israel would resume its offensive against Hamas ‘with all of its power’ once the cease-fire expires.
International mediators led by representatives from the United States and Qatar announced on Monday morning the ceasefire would be extended for two more days.
There are believed to be eight other U.S. citizens and one lawful permanent resident still held hostage. Two were women, seven were men. It’s not clear whether they are alive.