One of the hostage children who might be released by Hamas in this week’s expected exchange is three-year-old Abigail Idan.
Idan, who holds American citizenship, has become a symbol of sorts for the nearly 40 children believed to be held captive by Hamas after US President Joe Biden discussed her plight on a call with Qatar's Emir earlier this month.
She was kidnapped on October 7 from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Her parents, Roy and Smadar Idan were killed, and her older siblings, Michael, 9 and Amalya, 6, survived by hiding in closets in their room for 14 hours.
Abigail was carried by her father, a photographer for Ynet, when he was shot and later crawled out of from under his body. Covered in her father’s blood, she ran to family friends in a nearby home. The neighbor brought her to the family's safe room with his wife and three children and went to fight the terrorists. When he returned, hours later his wife, his children, and Abigail were gone.
Worrying, wondering, praying, hoping
Liz Hirsch Naftali, Abigail's great aunt, who lives in Los Angeles, told CNN that waiting for her release is excruciating.
“For our family, we have spent the last seven weeks – seven weeks – worrying, wondering, praying, hoping,” she said.
Another relative in Arizona, cousin Sophie Plapp, told AZCentral.com that "I don't have enough words for what the feeling is other than that her grandmother and I are second-generation Holocaust survivors, so all the stories our grandparents told us about the Nazis come back."
Singer Avi Toledano released a song on Wednesday called “Abigail” in Idan’s honor, that included the lyrics: “Abigail, you’re not alone.”