Hamas: 17-year-old Mia was left in the hands of Hamas with her dog – “a big help”

Mia Lieberg emerged after nearly two months as a hostage in Gaza holding her Shih Tzu, Bella, in one of the most surprising moments of the week-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended last Friday.

“When we were there we had to feed her our leftovers – yes, I’m talking about Bella.”

said 17-year-old Mia, looking at the little white dog in her arms. “And we had to make sure it wasn’t checked where we were. We had to keep it so it wouldn’t go exploring and bother someone out there.”

Mia and her mother, Gabriella, were visiting relatives on Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak when they were taken hostage by Hamas during the deadly October 7 attack in southern Israel that sparked a war with the Palestinian Islamist group in Gaza.

The mother, daughter, aunt and dog were released in a Palestinian prisoner exchange, but her uncle and her aunt’s partner remained hostage.

According to the agreement, Hamas and Islamic Jihad released Israeli hostage Mia Limberg (17 years old). She walks with her dog – whose life she somehow managed to keep alive during her 52 days of captivity. amazing. pic.twitter.com/PMcJDWNOTs

– Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) November 28, 2023

“It was hard. I was carrying her (Bella) all the way there. That was four extra pounds. I was lucky enough to be able to hold her throughout this situation and bring her back,” Mia said from her home in Jerusalem, in her first media interview. “.

Descriptions of hostage-taking by Hamas began to emerge after some Israeli hostages were returned. Some described the spaces as “suffocating”, lack of access to medicines and little food. The children recounted being told not to talk at all.

“Luckily for me, Bella is not like other little dogs I know, she is fairly calm, except when she is playing or getting crazy,” she said. “If they consider her a nuisance, I honestly think they won’t let me keep her.”

*EXCITING:* 18-year-old Mia Limberg and her dog Bella, who were captured together by Hamas, have now been photographed in their Jerusalem home. (Photo: Chaim Goldberg)
.🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/ojkNgTAAto

– KK (@Westport60) December 4, 2023

“It was a big help for me.”

Many pets were killed or missing after the Hamas attack.

Mia’s father, Moshe, said they had been searching for Bella during the weeks his family was held hostage. On the day of their release, he was surprised to learn that his daughter had shown up carrying the dog.

He described in more detail what his daughter went through to keep Bella. “He was worried that something would happen to the dog if he left it behind,” she said.

Mia hid Bella in her pajamas when he was loaded into a car that left the kibbutz.

He added: “Then they took them to the tunnels… and the dog was with her the whole time.” “When they came out of the tunnel, they had to climb a ladder, and then the Hamas members noticed that it was not a doll, it was a live dog.”

🇵🇸🇮🇱Hamas releases Mia Limberg and her dog. This alone will drive Netanyahu and his followers crazy#Zionist lobby attack #elon_musk #Hamas_terrorism #Together_to_Gaza #Red Cross pic.twitter.com/bICrIQV9lT

– Omar (@abuhex) November 29, 2023

“They talked to each other and it was decided to let her keep the dog rather than leave it behind.”

The hostages were keen to clean the dog’s dirt so that there would be no unpleasant odors.

“She was so determined to get the dog back, one of the expressions she now uses for Bella is ‘I love you to Gaza and back.’”

Mia described how being held hostage was a difficult experience, “where, after a while, you kind of sink into it.” But Bella’s presence helped. “It was a big help to me. It kept me busy. It was moral support.”

She added that they would fight to free the other hostages, including her uncle and her aunt’s partner.

“We miss them every day, and it feels wrong to be here without them,” he said. “As much as I’m happy to be back, we’re not finished yet.”

Source: RES-MPE