Four-year-old survived Hamas horror under her father’s body and was then kidnapped. Israel wants to release another 42 Palestinian prisoners, according to reports

The fate of a four-year-old American girl released by the Islamist Hamas touches the hearts of many people. The girl had to witness the murder of both her parents before she was taken to the Gaza Strip. On October 7, the then three-year-old was at home with her two siblings, aged 10 and 6, in a kibbutz on the border with the Gaza Strip when Hamas terrorists raided and shot the mother in front of the three children. American officials report this, the media reported. When her father placed himself protectively over his daughter, he was also shot. Her siblings survived because they hid in a closet, where they waited for 14 hours before being rescued, it was said.

Her little sister, initially thought to be dead, crawled out from under her father’s body and ran to a neighbor’s house, the Washington Post quoted a relative of the girl as saying. The terrorists seized the girl there along with the five-member neighboring family and deported them and many other civilians to the Gaza Strip. Last Friday the little one turned four years old in captivity. “What she had to endure is unimaginable,” US President Joe Biden said after the girl on Sunday became the first US citizen to be released among hostages as part of the Israel-Hamas deal.

“She went through terrible trauma,” Biden said. “What a joy it is to see her with us, but on the other hand it is also sad that she returns to a reality where she has no parents,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “She has no parents, but she has an entire nation embracing her and we will provide for all her needs.”

The great aunt and cousin said in a statement on Sunday that they had “no words to express our relief and gratitude,” according to the newspaper. The little girl will live with her siblings and her aunt, uncle and grandparents in Israel, a relative said. Since Friday, 58 of the approximately 240 hostages Hamas is holding have been released. The release of ten more hostages is expected next Monday. (sda/dpa)