After the four-year-old hostage is released, her family breathes a sigh of relief

On October 7, she witnessed the murder of her parents before being kidnapped. On Friday, almost seven weeks later, she celebrated her fourth birthday while in captivity. And she was finally freed on Sunday, when one of the Hamas hostages was freed under an agreement with Israel.

Her name is Avigail Idan. Avigail, whose name is also spelled “Abigail” in U.S. media reports, is a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, and was among about 240 people, including about 10 US citizenstaken hostage by Hamas on October 7.

After Avigail’s release, several members of her family expressed relief. “We are blessed to be able to give her lots of love and care and help her rebuild her life,” her aunt Tal Idan wrote in a text message. “It feels like a miracle that has come true,” she added.

Liz Hirsh Naftali and Noa Naftali, her great aunt and cousin, said in a statement that they had “hoped and prayed for it to come today,” and thanked President Biden and the Qatari government, which helped broker the ceasefire -the-fire.

Avigail’s case has received widespread attention, especially in the United States, where several of her relatives are based in California. President Biden expressed relief at the news of her release on Sunday.

“Thank God she’s home,” Mr. Biden said told reporters in Nantucket, Mass., on Sunday. “I wish I was there to hold her.”

Avigail’s parents, Roy Idan, 43, and Smadar Idan, 38, were fatally shot at the Kfar Aza kibbutz in the October attack. The family said that Mr. Idan held Avigail in his arms when he was killed, while her siblings, Michael and Amelia, watched the tragedy unfold.

Covered in her father’s blood, Avigail ran to a neighbor, her aunt, Tal Idan, said. The neighbor brought Avigail to his house to hide with his wife and children and then left the house to look for a gun. “Ten minutes later when he came back they were all gone,” Ms Idan said. Mrs. Idan and her husband, Amit Idan, have taken care of Avigail’s siblings, who survived the attack.

Although several hostages have been reunited with their loved ones in the three days since the ceasefire began, many families are still waiting for news of their relatives still in captivity.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, a US citizen, is among those still held by Hamas. Mr. Goldberg-Polin, a native of Berkeley, California, was at a music festival near the Gaza border in southern Israel when Hamas attacked on October 7. Members of his family believe he is in desperate need medical attention because part of his arm was blown off by a grenade the attackers threw before kidnapping him.

On Sunday, his father, Jon Polin, waited anxiously for news about his son. But he said he was “thrilled” for every hostage released so far and for their families.

“We, hostage families, are kind of becoming a different form of family,” he said. “So it’s really personal, even though I don’t know the hostages themselves, except for my son.”

“I am very happy that they will be reunited with their loved ones,” added Mr. Polin added. “That said, I want my son home and all the hostages home.”

Katherine Rosman reporting contributed.