US Edition
Three children held hostage by Hamas have been reunited with their family dog after their release.
Rodney the dog ran into the hospital wagging his tail as he was greeted excitedly by the young siblings who had spent weeks in captivity.
Ofri, who turned 10 in captivity, Yuval, 8 and Uriya Brodutch, 4, were freed by Hamas along with their mother Hagar, 40, on Sunday after they were abducted from the kibbutz of Kfar Aza on Oct 7.
“The family was aware that nothing would make them happier than to see their beloved dog, so they brought him to the department,” the Times of Israel cited the hospital as saying.
In a video of their reunion Ofri, the eldest child, who is wearing floral pyjamas, strokes the dog lovingly and kisses him on the head.
The children, who are recovering at Schneider Children’s Medical Centre in Petah Tikva, cuddle the dog as he lollops through the corridor and licks their faces affectionately.
Rodney, believed to be a Rhodesian ridgeback, had previously accompanied the children’s father, Avihai Brodutch, as he sat outside the defence ministry in Tel Aviv demanding their return while they were held hostage.
On Oct 7, Mr Brodutch tried to defend the kibbutz while his loved ones sheltered in the safe room, but when he returned to search for his family they were gone.
He initially thought they had been killed in the terror attack, but found out days later they had been abducted. He said at the time: “I felt like I won the lottery.”
He became one of the more vocal family members in the campaign to bring the hostages home.
In a Channel 12 interview on Nov 11, he said: “Do you know why my family was abducted to Gaza?
“Because there wasn’t an army to defend us. Hamas is tiny next to Israel the giant.”