Avigail Idan | |
|---|---|
| Born | (2019-11-24)November 24, 2019 (age 6) Israel |
Avigail Mor Idan is an American-Israeli child who was abducted in 2023 during theOctober 7 attacks as part of theKfar Aza Massacre byHamas. She was released on November 26, 2023, after spending 50 days in captivity.
Avigail Idan was born on November 24, 2019.[1] Her parents wereRoee Idan [he] and Smadar Idan.[2] She lived in KibbutzKfar Aza.[3]
On October 7, 2023, Idan's parents were killed during the Kfar Aza Massacre. After Idan's mother, Smadar, was killed, the rest of the family fled outside the house.[4] Idan was being held by her father, Roee, when he was shot dead.[3] Her two siblings, Michael and Amelia, reentered the house and hid in a cabinet for 14 hours until they were rescued.[5][6] Her siblings believed the Idan had been killed.[6] However, Idan, covered in her parents' blood, had fled to the house of the neighbors, the Brodutch family.[7] She hid with the family for four hours.[7] However, around 11 AM, Idan, alongside the Brodutch family;Hagar,Yuval,Ofri, andOria, were all kidnapped by around 15 Hamas militants and taken to Gaza.[8][6] Around a week after the attacks, Idan was determined to have been abducted into Gaza.[9]
Idan was held with the Brodutch family throughout her captivity.[10] They were kept in multiple apartments.[10] On their twelfth day of captivity, the house the five hostages were held in was struck by anIDF airstrike.[7] The hostages were moved to a different location shortly afterwards, where the hostages began to receive less food.[7] During her captivity, Idan developed lice, causing her hair to need to be cut.[10] During negotiations for hostage releases, U.S. officials pushed for Idan to be among the first hostages released.[11] Idan turned four while in captivity.[4]
Idan, along with the Brodutch family, were released on November 26, 2023, as part of the2023 Gaza war ceasefire.[10] Upon her release,U.S. PresidentJoe Biden remarked "I wish I was there to hold her."[11]
After her release, Idan was taken to Schneider's Children Medical Center.[12] Idan and her two siblings were adopted by her maternal uncle, Leron Mor, and his wife Zoli.[5]
In April 2024, Idan, along with her surviving relatives, met U.S. president Joe Biden at theWhite House.[13][6] In September 2024, Idan's great aunt, Liz Hersh Naftali, released a book,Saving Abigail: The True Story of the Abduction and Rescue of a Three-Year-Old Hostage.[14]
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