The father of the 17-year-old high schooler freed by Hamas Tuesday had been searching for weeks for her missing Shih Tzu to bring to her on the fated day of their reunion — only to find out when she was released that the beloved pooch had been in captivity with her the entire time.
Mia Leimberg, of Jerusalem, was seen carrying her dog, Bella, as she was escorted by the terrorists to be transferred to the Red Cross along with 11 other hostages.
The teen had been kidnapped by the terrorists during its attack on Oct. 7, when she and her mother, Gabriela, were visiting Mia’s aunt’s house in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak for Simchat Torah celebrations.
They brought 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 attempted to hide in a sealed room of the relative’s home using a chair to keep the door shut, 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 relative, Fernando Marman, were all taken hostage.
It was unclear at first what happened to the dog, as Moshe pressed for answers.
In a post on LinkedIn, he said he had not heard anything from or about his wife or daughter, who he said “disappeared” without a trace.
“Not a word, not a picture,” Moshe wrote, according to the New York Times,
“They just disappeared, leaving behind a few scattered personal effects, almost as if they never existed.”
He also urged the community to help him find Bella so he could give Mia her beloved pet when she finally returned home, believing the dog was likely given up for adoption.
But when Mia, Gabriela and Clara were released on Tuesday, photos and video emerged of Mia gripping her Shih Tzu.
She was later seen cuddling up with the dog as she scrolled through her phone.
It is unclear how the dog was able to survive more than 50 days in captivity, but Ruth Marks Eglash, a reporter for Jewish Insider, said Bella has been seen by a vet and is doing well.
