The New York Post e-Edition

Yank tot may be free on b’day

By MELISSA KOENIG

The family of a 3-year-old American orphan who is expected to be among the 50 hostages released by Hamas after reaching a deal with Israel said they are hoping to see her safely home by her 4th birthday on Friday.

Abigail Mor Idan, 3, was snatched by the terrorist group after fleeing her home, where her father, Roy Idan, 43, a photojournalist, and mother, Smadar Idan, were murdered on Oct. 7.

“The one thing that we all hold on to is that hope now that Abigail comes home, she comes home by Friday,” the toddler’s aunt, Liz Hirsh, Naftali told CNN Tuesday night.

“Friday is her 4th birthday. We need to see Abigail come out and then we will be able to believe it.”

Naftali, who lives in Los Angeles, added that she and her family watched the news all day on Tuesday, “and we are still at this place where we haven’t seen, we don’t know any details about any of the hostages.

“And so I hope that starting tomorrow, we will start to learn more about the hostages, and we will start to see children, women be the first group that is released.”

The toddler was reportedly in her father’s arms when he and her mother were shot and killed by Hamas.

She crawled out “from under her father’s body . . . full of his blood” and fled to a neighbor’s home, where she was later kidnapped by Hamas, Hirsh Naftali told NBC News last week.

Her siblings, ages 6 and 10, who witnessed their parents’ murder, escaped unharmed by hiding in a closet for 14 hours, she said.

“For our family, we have spent the last seven weeks . . . worrying, wondering, praying, hoping,” Abigail’s aunt told CNN Tuesday.

She said she hopes the young girl is “with the mother that was taking care of her at the time with her own three kids.”

“And I hope that Abigail is being taken care of and left [alone] and that the deal will follow through and these hostages will be back home with their families in the next couple of days.”

Abigail is among the three American hostages who are expected to be released under the deal.

ISRAEL UNDER ATTACK

en-us

2023-11-23T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-11-23T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://nypost.pressreader.com/article/281582360375039

New York Post