News
Published
December 6, 2023, 1:34 pm ET
Mia Leimberg emerged from practically two months’ captivity in Gaza with Bella, her Shih Tzu, in her arms, one of the astonishing moments of a week-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended final Friday.
“When we were there we had to feed her our leftovers – yeah I’m talking about you Bella,” stated Mia, 17, wanting down on the small white canine in her arms. “And we had to make sure that she doesn’t run wild where we were. We had to keep her so that she doesn’t go exploring and annoy anybody there.”
Mia and her mom Gabriela have been visiting household in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak once they have been taken hostage by Hamas throughout its Oct. 7 killing spree by way of southern Israel, sparking the war with the Palestinian Islamist group in Gaza.
The mom, daughter, aunt and canine have been let out as a part of a swap for Palestinian prisoners, however her uncle and her aunt’s accomplice stay in captivity.
“It was difficult. I held her (Bella) all the way there. It was an extra four kilos. And I’m just lucky enough that I managed to keep her through that whole situation and bring her back,” Mia stated from her home in Jerusalem in her first media interview.
Descriptions of Hamas captivity have began to emerge with the return home of among the Israeli hostages.
Some have described ‘suffocating’ quarters, with no access to treatment and dwindling meals. Children have recounted being ordered all the time to maintain quiet.
“Luckily for me Bella is unlike all the other small dogs that I personally know, she is rather quiet, unless when she is playing or mad,” she stated. “If they would have seen her as a bother I think they would not have let me keep her, in all honesty.”
‘SHE WAS A HUGE HELP TO ME’
Many pets have been killed or went lacking throughout Hamas’ rampage.
Mia’s father Moshe stated they looked for Bella through the weeks of his household’s captivity.
The day of their launch, he was shocked to listen to she got here out holding the canine.
He described in additional element what his daughter went by way of to maintain Bella. “She was worried that something would happen to the dog if she left her behind,” he stated.
Mia hid the canine underneath her pajamas as they have been loaded right into a automobile that drove out of the kibbutz.
“Then they took them to tunnels … she had the dog with her the whole time,” he stated. “When they came out of the tunnel they had to climb up a ladder, that’s when the Hamas people noticed that this was not a doll, it was a living, breathing dog.”
“A bit of an argument ensued, and it was decided to let her keep the dog instead of leave it behind.”
The captives cleaned up after the canine to stop unhealthy smells.
“She was very determined to bring the dog back, and one of the expressions that she has now, about the dog, is ‘I love you to Gaza and back’.”
More than 100 hostages have been freed within the truce that ended on Friday.
Since then preventing has resumed with Israel pursuing its navy offensive in opposition to Hamas in Gaza.
Mia described how captivity was a tricky expertise that “will take quite the while to, like, sink in.” But having Bella helped. “She was a huge help to me. She kept me busy. She was moral support.”
She stated they are going to struggle for the liberty of the opposite hostages, together with her uncle and aunt’s accomplice.
“We miss them every day and it feels wrong being here without them,” she stated. “As much as I am happy to be back, we’re still not done.”
