The father of a 17-year-old high school student freed by Hamas on Tuesday had been searching for weeks for a missing Shih Tzu to bring to him on the fateful day of their reunion – only to discover when he was released that the beloved pooch had been in captivity with him all the time.
Mia Leimberg, from Jerusalem, was seen carrying her dog, Bella, as she was escorted by terrorists to be transferred to the Red Cross along with 11 other hostages.
The teenager was kidnapped by terrorists during his attack on October 7, when he and his mother, Gabriela, were visiting Mia’s aunt’s house in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak for the Simchat Torah celebration.
They took Bella with them on the trip, while Mia’s father, Moshe, stayed home because he had the flu, according to The New York Times.
When the terrorists launched their surprise attack, the family tried to hide in a closed room of a relative’s house using a chair to block the door, The Times of Israel reported.
But they were unsuccessful, and Mia and Gabriela, as well as their aunt Clara Marman, Clara’s partner Luis Norberto Har, and another brother, Fernando Marman, were all taken hostage.
It is unclear at first what happened to the dog, as Moshe presses for answers.
Mia Leimberg, 17, was seen taking her beloved Shih Tzu, Bella, with her when she was released from Hamas custody on Tuesday. via REUTERS
In a post on LinkedIn, he said he had not heard anything from or about his wife or daughter, who he said had “disappeared” without a trace.
“Not a word, not a picture,” Moshe wrote, according to The New York Times.
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“They just disappeared, leaving a few scattered personal effects, almost as if they never existed.”
He also urges the community to help him find Bella so he can give Mia his pet when he finally returns home, believing the dog may have been put up for adoption.
Mia Leimberg (center) with her mother, Gabriela, and aunt Clara Marman were taken by Hamas terrorists during their attack on Oct. 7. An Al Qahera News photo following Mia’s release shows the dog cuddled in her lap. GPO
But when Mia, Gabriela and Clara were released on Tuesday, photos and videos emerged of Mia clutching her Shih Tzu.
He is then seen cuddling with the dog while scrolling through his phone.
It’s unclear how the dog managed to survive more than 50 days in captivity, but Ruth Marks Eglash, a reporter for the Jewish Insider, said Bella has been seen by the vet and is doing well.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
