Abigail Edan, abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza at the age of three after her parents were murdered, became one of the enduring symbols of the October 7 events. Months after her release in a hostage exchange, a photo of her in the arms of U.S. President Joe Biden touched hearts worldwide.
She marked her fourth birthday in captivity, without any family, after her parents, Roy and Smadar, were killed. Her siblings, Michael and Amalia, survived by hiding in a closet during the massacre. On Sunday, Abigail celebrated her fifth birthday, just two days before what has become a second milestone: the anniversary of her release from Hamas captivity.
“She hasn’t changed much, but she’s matured a lot this past year,” said Zuli and Liron, Abigail’s aunt and uncle, who have adopted her and her siblings. “For all of us, life is divided into before and after October 7. She was already a happy and healthy child, incredibly smart—wise beyond her years. She thinks she’s 16 and has amazing resilience.”
Abigail did not want to take part in our project, wisely asking her aunt Liron why people wanted to photograph her. “I asked if she remembered Emily, Zivi and Gali, Doron and Keith (Damari, Berman, Steinbrecher and Siegel) our friends from the who still haven’t come back home. I explained that we’re doing this for them,” Liron said. “And then, with her childlike wisdom, she asked, ‘But how will that help?’”
“A year has passed, and the normal thing to think is, ‘How is it possible that they’re still there?’ For me, it’s a miracle that we’re here today, 415 days later, but there are still 101 families waiting for their miracle. This reality is with us every day—it’s the last thing I think about at night and the first thing in the morning.”
“This is why we agreed to this article,” Zuli says. “Zivi and Gali grew up before our eyes. I remember them as kids playing soccer in our yard. Aviva (Siegel, who returned from captivity while her husband Keith remains a hostage) was my children’s kindergarten teacher. This is our community. We want to show that it doesn’t matter if it’s a four-year-old or a 40-year-old—they all must come home.
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Abigail with her aunt Liron and uncle Zuli in the hospital after her release from captivity
(Photo: Schneider Medical Center)
“Everyone bears scars, but life is stronger than us, and we have to move forward. But not before every single hostage is returned. We want to give hope to other families, like our neighbor Talia (Berman), that her children will come back safe. That was one of my biggest fears—what would I see after 51 days? I can’t even imagine what it’s like for families still living this nightmare after 415 days.”
Zuli and Liron, like many Israelis, never imagined this reality would persist a year after Abigail’s release and nearly 14 months since October 7. As they mark Abigail’s fifth birthday and one year as a new family unit, they acknowledge the challenges ahead.
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The Edans in better days: Abigail, Roy, Michael, Amalia and Smadar
(Reproduction: Ilana Curiel)
“We will keep doing what we’ve been doing all year—choosing life,” Liron says. “Alongside the pain and tragedy, I believe that’s what Roy and Smadar would want for us and our children. A year from now, we’ll be even stronger. People who meet us for the first time often ask which kids are ours biologically, not knowing our story. But that’s not what we focus on. We’re focused on being a family. We have a long road ahead, full of challenges—not just with Abigail, but her siblings, our biological children and everything they experienced that day until we were rescued from our safe room. Our daily work is about healing and recovery as a family, and that process won’t be complete until all 101 hostages are home.”
“This is our life’s mission,” Zuli adds. “It’s what we do 24/7—helping the kids heal and adjusting to our new family dynamic. It’s important for the public and the state to understand that even when a hostage comes home, the event isn’t over—it’s just beginning. There’s a long road to recovery, and it takes time. We didn’t come home and close the chapter; we’re healing every day, letting the wounds scar over. And that doesn’t happen in a month, or even a year. It’s an ongoing process, and we need the country’s full attention and support to get through it.”