Nine children, two mothers, two adult women, and one man were released after 51 days in Hamas captivity, as they once again see the light of day - and they are back in Israel. In Kfar Aza, where most of the released individuals were abducted, tears flowed as they reunited with their loved ones. However, there are still 178 Israelis in Hamas captivity.
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In the third phase of the prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, the freed hostages are Hagar Brodutch and children Ofri, Yuval and Oriya; Russian-Israeli national Roni Kriboy; Chen Almog Goldstein and her children Agam, Gal and Tal Almog; Abigail Edan, Elma Avraham, Aviva Siegal and siblings Ella and Dafna Elyakim.
The 14 Israelis who were released are returning to Israel but to an entirely different reality. The Goldstein-Almog family lost their father, Nadav, and their eldest daughter, Yam, who were murdered in the October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists. Also, Dafna and Ella's father, was killed on October 7, and little Abigail was left without both her parents, Roy and Samder who were murdered by Hamas terrorists. And the husband of Aviva Siegal, who was abducted with her, remains behind in Gaza in Hamas captivity. These are the stories of the release in the third phase.
At the age of 3, Abigail Edan became a symbol: a symbol of Hamas' cruelty, a symbol of profound pain, and a symbol of hope for the return of the captives. And two days after her fourth birthday, she is finally back in Israel. Even U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged it, stating at the beginning of his address, shortly after her release: "Abigail is free now; she is in Israel."
The girl, who was abducted to Gaza with Hagar Brodutch and her children, returns after 51 days in Hamas captivity, but she won't see her parents again. Her father, Ynet photographer Roy Edan, documented the terrorists entering Kfar Aza in the first minutes of the terror attack before being killed with her mother Smadar.
Little Abigail fled from the terrorists covered in her father Roy's blood. Neighbor Avichai Brodutch, who noticed her, ran to her, brought her into his home, and saved her. He then left to fight the terrorists with the other residents, and upon returning home, discovered that his wife, his children and Abigail had been abducted.
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The parents of Roy Edan waiting for the release of Abigail Edan
(Photo: Gadi Kabalo)
Abigail's siblings, Michael, 9, and Amalia, 6, hid in the house's closets for 14 hours and survived the massacre. Now, they will meet their little sister for the first time since October 7.
Hagar Brodutch and her children Ofri, Yuval and Oriya
Avichai Brodutch, who saved Abigail Idan and immediately joined the fight against terrorists in Kfar Aza, struggled for 51 days to bring back his abducted family members from Gaza - his wife Hagar, 40, and their three children Ofri, 10, Yuval, 8 and Oriya, 4.
He initiated a protest outside the Tel Aviv HaKirya urban military base - where IDF officials and the security cabinet held meetings during the war - a week after the massacre on October 7, demanding a change in policy - "Bring back the captives before anything else." He was also the first among the families of the captives to meet with a government representative in Qatar, whose mediation eventually led to the deal. Now, for the first time in over seven weeks, Avichai can finally breathe a sigh of relief: his wife and children have returned to Israel.
Ella and Dafna Elyakim
Ella Elyakim, 8, and her sister Dafna, 15, were abducted to Gaza from their home in Nahal Oz after witnessing the murder of their father Noam, his partner Dikla Arba, and her son Tomer. The terrorists broke into their house on October 7, documenting the entire family sitting in fear in a corner of the house, with their father Noam bleeding. The videos were then uploaded to social media.
Their mother, Mayan Tzin, stated that the girls "saw horrors, witnessed the murder of their father, his partner, and her son in front of their eyes, and I don't know what else they saw. But I can't allow myself to break down; I need to bring them home, and then I'll have to help them recover from everything they've been through."
Chen Almog Goldstein and her children Agam, Gal and Tal
On the third day of the war, a message was delivered on behalf of Major General (res.) Doron Almog, the head of the Jewish Agency, stated that six members of his family were murdered in the massacre, precisely 20 years after he lost five family members in a bombing at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa.
However, on Sunday, seven weeks later, four members of his family returned to Israel in the third round of the captives' deal. Chen Goldstein-Almog, 48 and her children Agam, 17, Gal 11 and Tal 9, initially feared to be among the victims.
In the massacre, Chen's husband, Nadav, and their daughter Yam who was an IDF soldier were killed. Chen's father, Giora Almog, was the gardener of the kindergarten in Kfar Aza for over 30 years. He, along with Nadav's grandmother Shlomit and his parents, were in Bulgaria at the time of the massacre - two weeks after Giora conducted the memorial ceremony for the family members killed in the Maxim bombing.
Elma Avraham
After over seven weeks in captivity at the age of 84, Alma Abraham, a member of Kibbutz Nahal Oz for 49 years, was released from captivity in Gaza after being abducted on October 7. In a circulated photo at the time, she appeared being led on a motorcycle into the Gaza Strip between two armed terrorists.
Her son, Ori, recounted that on that Saturday, he spoke with his mother several times, the last being at 10:20 am: "It was reported that the communication systems crashed, giving me hope that maybe that's the reason Mom isn't answering. But when reports began about terrorist infiltrations into kibbutzim, abductions, murders and atrocities, I had a feeling that something bad happened to Mom." 51 days after that terrible morning, Alma returned to Israel.
Upon her return, and following her initially defined critical medical condition, she was airlifted to Soroka Medical Center. The hospital stated that "upon her arrival, she underwent an initial examination to assess her condition and determine the required treatment to provide her with appropriate medical care."
Aviva Siegal
Aviva Sigal, 62 years old, was abducted to Gaza with her husband, Keith, 64. Their daughter, Shir, recounted that the terrorists took them to the Gaza Strip in the car belonging to her father.
Aviva, a kindergarten teacher, mother of four and grandmother of five was also the caregiver for Agam Goldstein-Almog, who was released with her. However, Keith, who lived with Aviva in Kfar Aza for over 40 years, remains in the hands of Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Roni Kriboy
A day after the release of Maya Regev, the first captive from the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re'im who was freed from captivity, the first worker from the festival, Ron Kriboy, 25, from Karmiel, was released.
Kriboy worked on the sound team at the party. According to testimonies, he managed to escape from the scene of the massacre and hid for hours in a pit not far from the party. In the morning, he wrote to his family, "I'm okay," and sent his location to a friend. Shortly after, that friend received a message from Roni: "They're here." His brother Igal recounted that in the last conversation received on Roni's mobile, his friends heard words in Arabic, and the call was cut off.
Unlike the other 13 Israelis, Kriboy was not released as part of the deal but rather as a tribute by Hamas to Russian President Vladimir Putin due to his Russian citizenship. "For a moment, we didn't lose hope and belief that he would come back. He's our brother, our blood," said his friend Yinon Ochana. After 51 days, Roni is finally out of Gaza.