BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: A New York City woman has disclosed that two of her Israeli cousins were among the several hostages who were freed by the Hamas militants on Friday, November 24, nearly seven weeks after they were taken captive.
Alana Zeitchik, 38, took to Instagram to share an image of her relatives, Danielle Alony, 44, and her 5-year-old daughter Amelia, making their way out of an emergency vehicle after they were among those released as part of a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas.
Alana expressed her happiness in the post
“There you are my loves. Dani and Amelia. We are waiting for you!” the exhilarated Brooklyn resident penned according to New York Post.
The freed mother-daughter-duo are among Zeitchik’s six cousins who were taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attack.
As of now, it remains unknown whether Alana's four other family members, Sharon and David Cunio, along with their 3-year-old twins, Emma and Julie, were also released on Friday.
Danielle and her daughter were visiting their family in Israel
Danielle and her daughter had been visiting the Cunio family at their home in Kibbutz Oz in southern Israel when they were all kidnapped seven weeks ago, according to Alana.
Social media video came to light soon after the Hamas terrorists stormed the region which showed the two families on the back of a truck with their abductors.
Alana shared with Pix11 last month as she recounted the moment she watched the video. "I have to believe in my soul that they’re still alive," she added at the time.
After the attack, Zeitchik and her family established an Instagram account called "Bring Our Family Home" to raise awareness about their situation and have been urging the US to intervene and assist in their rescue.
Her relatives were among the 24 hostages released on the first day of the war's initial truce.
Who are the other hostages that were freed by the Hamas
“The government of Israel is committed to bringing all of the hostages home,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on November 21. “Tonight, the government approved the outline for the first stage of achieving this goal.”
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later formally announced the deal in a statement on X and said a start time to the halt in fighting would be revealed “within the next 24 hours.”
Thirteen Israeli women and children were handed over to the Red Cross and to an Egyptian security team assisting their release. Ten Thai nationals and one Filipino citizen being held in Gaza were also freed, Qatar Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari confirmed.
