The families of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages have welcomed their loved ones home, more than two years after they were kidnapped by Hamas and held in captivity.  

Liz Hirsh Naftali knows how the hostages’ families are feeling. Her great-niece Abigail Edan, whose parents were killed by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, was kidnapped as a 3-year-old, along with about 240 other Israelis. 

What You Need To Know

The families of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages have welcomed their loved ones home, more than two years after they were kidnapped by Hamas and held in captivity

Liz Hirsh Naftali, whose great-niece was held in captivity for 51 days after the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, spoke with NY1 about the ceasefire agreement

The bodies of 28 deceased Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza are also expected to be handed over by Hamas as part of the ceasefire agreement with Israel

After 51 days in captivity, Abigail was released on the third day of a hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.

“I think the road forward for all of these families is really difficult. But it is one that, when somebody comes home, you can begin to heal. And I know that until Abigail came back, we could not begin to heal,” she said. 

“We’ve seen them today coming out, and we’ve seen them in their loved ones’ arms and it is, I just burst into tears each time,” she added. 

The bodies of 28 deceased Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza are also expected to be handed over by Hamas as part of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.  

“Bringing back the hostages. It is this open wound, and a very terrible wound, and having them back, even the remains of those who were killed, having the bodies back, brings a sense of closure,” said Eric Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York. 

Goldstein has met with a number of hostage families over the last few years, including Rachel Goldman-Polin — the mother of Hersh, who was killed in captivity. 

“This is very, very personal, and very special — family members who we know, you know, spouses, husbands, who are still there, or parents waiting back for their children,” Goldstein said.

Naftali, who has written a book about her great-niece’s experience, says the road ahead for the hostages returning home will be a long one. But she says Abigail, who is now 5, has shown her that there is hope.  

“Abigail has been able to move forward. The trauma and the tragedy of October 7th will always live within her and her siblings and all of us,” she said. “But she’s been able to go to school and start what we want for all of our children, which is just to go to school and have a life.”