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After more than 50 days, Liat Beinin was freed from Hamas captivity Wednesday.
Beinin, 49, was one of nine Americans and a legal permanent resident of the United States believed to be among the hostages held in Gaza, according to U.S. officials. Of those, only she and 4-year-old Abigail Edan have been released in the exchanges of Hamas’s hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel that began last week.
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President Biden commented on Beinin’s release, writing: “Jill and I are deeply gratified that she will soon be reunited with her three children and her father, who have been wracked with worry for her safety.”
Families of U.S. hostages in Gaza urge Israel to expand negotiations
Beinin is a high school history and civics teacher and the mother of three. Once a week, she gives tours at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial. Beinin was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 attack. Her husband, Aviv Atzili, oversaw the heavy agricultural machinery used to cultivate the kibbutz’s thousands of acres of peanuts, carrots and potatoes.
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At the time of Beinin’s release on Wednesday, Atzili, 49, was believed to be in Gaza as a hostage of Hamas, according to the White House. “We remain determined to secure the release of every person taken hostage by Hamas during its brutal terrorist assault on Israel on October 7, including Liat’s husband Aviv,” Biden said in a statement.
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The day after Beinin’s safe return, the family received the news they had long dreaded. Her father Yehuda Beinin said he was told Thursday by Israeli authorities that Atzili was killed on Oct. 7, based on a forensic DNA analysis of remains.
The couple’s oldest child, 22, was at a friend’s house the day of the attack and managed to remain hidden. Their middle child, 20, survived by holding the door of a safe room closed, preventing the attackers from entering. Their youngest child, 18, was not on the kibbutz during the attack. The kibbutz is about 1？ miles from the Gaza Strip.
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Beinin’s American-born parents migrated to Israel about 50 years ago. Her father said the U.S. government “has been very helpful from the very first day.” Yehuda has traveled to Washington repeatedly and has met with Vice President Harris, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Roger Carstens.
Recent days were agonizing. The family has waited by the phone for news, hoping to hear that Beinin would be among the women and children on the list of those scheduled for release, only to be disappointed.
Thin rations, heavy bombing: Israel’s hostages start sharing their stories
On Tuesday night, they received the news they had sought. And by late Wednesday in Israel, Beinin’s parents and sister Tal Beinin — who lives in Portland, Ore. — were at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, anxiously awaiting her arrival.
Her family was overjoyed at her release, but Yehuda Beinin said his happiness was tempered by the knowledge that Atzili remained a captive. He pledged to keep working for Atzili’s release.
The following day they learned that Atzili — both a mechanic and an artist — had been killed. The family is planning a concert in his memory.
Israel-Gaza war Israel’s military continued combat operations across the Gaza Strip, striking major cities in the south and engaging in “intense fighting” with Hamas militants in two key regions in the north, a government spokesman said.
Hostages: More than 100 hostages held in the Gaza Strip have been released. Here’s what we know about the hostages released by Hamas so far.
Oct. 7 attack: Hamas spent more than a year planning its historic assault on Israel. A Post video analysis shows how Hamas exploited vulnerabilities created by Israel’s reliance on technology at the “Iron Wall” to carry out the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Traders earned millions anticipating the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, a new study found.
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip has a complicated history. Understand what’s behind the Israel-Gaza war and see the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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