"I would like this sense of joy and relief that we feel now to be felt by all the families of the abductees. This is our next mission, to continue the struggle and bring everyone home," says Adi Shahar, Chen Avigdori's sister, who since October 7, when Sharon and Noam, residents of Hod Hasharon, were abducted from the family's home in Kibbutz Be'eri, has been close to her brother in the struggle for their release.
Watch: The moment the abductees enter Israeli territory// IDF Spokesperson
12 hours after the emotional meeting between Chen, Omar, Adi, Zohar and Nitza Avigdori with Sharon and Noam who were released from Hamas captivity, the family breathes a sigh of relief. What began with an update call from the IDF on Friday at 22:30 P.M. about the release of Sharon and Noam Avigdori in the second phase, continued with a nerve-racking wait, a long wait that ended only yesterday at 04:00 A.M., when Sharon and Noam Avigdori entered Sheba Hospital at Tel Hashomer on their feet, healthy and sound.
The aunt, Adi Shahar, Chen's sister, talks about the difficult moments they went through. "It was a nerve-wracking journey that began on Friday night, when we received notice of their release, and ended only late Saturday night," she says, sharing about the uncertainty surrounding their return.
Chen Avigdori, photo: uncredited
Sharon and Noam Avigdori, Photo: None
"From the first moment, we were afraid that something would happen and that the release would not happen. Chen said that until he sees Noam and Sharon in the Red Cross ambulance, he doesn't leave the house in Hod Hasharon."
Regarding the report that the deal is expected to be canceled or postponed, she says: "At 18:00 P.M., we realized that there was a big delay and we started hearing from the media that the deal might not go through. It was a tough wait. Everything we feared in the last 24 hours could have happened. We started coming up with our own scenarios and interpretations of tardiness. After 3 nerve-racking hours on our phones and social media, we saw them sitting in a Red Cross ambulance. We screamed with joy, jumped, cried and were mostly happy. That moment when they were no longer in the hands of Hamas was a happy moment. We packed Sharon and Noam a change of clothes and went to Tel Hashomer Hospital to meet with them."
Adi also says that Sheba Hospital (Tel Hashomer) was prepared in an exemplary manner for the arrival of the families. "A few minutes later, I received a phone call from Sharon talking to her mother Ruthi and my brother Chen. And when they came, we all met."
Alongside the great joy and sigh of relief at the release of Sharon and Noam, the Avigdori family is still waiting for another family member who remained in captivity - Tal Shoham.
Adi says that their next step is to rebuild the family that for 50 days was a split, divided family, and each side of it went through harrowing experiences. And the second task is to continue the struggle to bring all the abductees home.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us