Hen Avigdori, after first Shabbat with freed wife and daughter: ‘Our joy is partial’

3 December 2023, 4:02 pm 3 Edit

Sharon Avigdori and her daughter Noam are reunited with husband and father Hen Avigdori and their son Omer Avigdori after Sharon and Noam were released by Hamas from captivity in Gaza on Saturday, November 25, 2023. (Courtesy Avigdori family)

Hen Avigdori, whose wife Sharon and daughter Noam were released from Hamas captivity last week after more than seven weeks, says he was overjoyed to spend a first Shabbat with his reunited family, but his heart is with the remaining hostages.

“We all got together at my parents’ house, all the cousins and grandkids… it was very moving, very emotional… very loud, very happy,” he tells Channel 12 news.

But “amidst the joy… we recognize that our joy is partial, it’s just ours,” he says. “Everyone must come home, every hostage must return.”

Avigdori says Sharon and Noam “are OK physically and emotionally,” but he refuses to publicly share any details of what they experienced.

He promises to also fulfill the vow he made while Noam was held hostage in Gaza: “She will get a dog.”