As the last hours of the truce agreed between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip pass, several countries are working to prolong it and continue the exchange of Palestinian hostages and prisoners. An exchange that this weekend ended with the release of Abigail, a four-year-old girl of Israeli and American nationality whose parents were murdered by terrorists.

The little girl actually turned four years old during her captivity and has become a symbol of the American hostages in the hands of Hamas, of which she was the youngest. Abigail has already been able to reunite with her grandfather, Armel Edan, who described the emotion of recovering her granddaughter: “It was something incredible, I couldn’t believe it until I saw it“I just couldn’t believe it.”

A joy that, however, collides with sadness over the death of the minor’s parents: “Now I am a little more relieved, not completely relieved because I feel happiness and at the same time I miss Roy and Hadar“, he pointed out.

Biden’s joy for his release

On Sunday, an excited Joe Biden confirmed Abigail’s release. “Thank God she is home,” noted the president of the United States, adding: “I wish I were there to hug her.” Biden, who in recent weeks has referred to the girl on numerous occasions when calling for the release of Americans kidnapped by Hamas, began the press conference by telling the story of the little girl, who He celebrated his birthday last Friday and has spent the last 50 days held.

Her mother, Biden said, “was murdered in front of her” in the Hamas attacks of October 7 and his father “also he was killed while using his body to protect her“Then he ran to a neighbor for help and there everyone was taken hostage,” he said. “What he endured is unthinkable,” added the Democratic president.

Although the girl has been the protagonist of Biden’s speeches in recent weeks, the United States has had to wait for third day of humanitarian pause to see the little girl free, first American freed in this truce. She is the third American citizen released by Hamas, after two women were freed a month ago. “We will not stop working until every hostage returns to her loved ones,” Biden promised this Sunday.