PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — An Israeli grandmother and a young boy with ties to the Philadelphia area, whom Hamas abducted on Oct. 7, are among the latest group of hostages to be returned to Israel.
Dietza Heiman, 84, of Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel, was among 10 Israelis and 2 foreign nationals freed on Tuesday. More than 170 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza.
Heiman has a stepson and grandson in Ardmore. Her stepson, Amichai Shdaimah, said he is relieved to know for the first time in seven and a half weeks that she is alive — but he says he promised family members in Israel that he would not give any interviews.
Since Heiman’s abduction, Shdaimah and his son, Elad, knew very little about her whereabouts or her condition. Aside from a brief Hamas propaganda video showing her in a state of terror being physically removed from her home, the family had no additional proof of life.
They have been telling her story at vigils and rallies around Philadelphia in an effort to bring attention to her plight.
In a prior interview with KYW, Elad spoke of his fond memories of visiting “Savta Dietza” in Israel, eating her matzah ball soup, practicing his Hebrew with her.
He remembered riding around the kibbutz with her in the motorized cart she uses because she has trouble walking on her own. Both he and his father at the time shared their concerns about her health and her mobility.
Amichai confirmed on Tuesday that she was taken to a hospital in central Israel. It is unclear where Heiman will live after she is discharged, because Hamas terrorists completely destroyed Kibbutz Nir Oz in the Oct. 7 massacre.
Also among those freed on Tuesday is 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi, who is now back with his mother. Images of their reunion touched their Main Line relative, Danielle Gutman, who lives in Wynnewood.
“I burst into tears when I saw it,” she told NBC10. “It’s just amazing because it makes me think of how I would feel if it was one of my daughters in that situation.”
Gutman said she and other family members have been following the nightmare from afar.
“It’s heartbreaking that he went through it,” she said. “It’s just amazing that he’s coming back.”
However, the boy’s father, Ohad, was also kidnapped on Oct. 7 and is still unaccounted for.
“We don’t know where Ohad is. So we’re still very, very worried but we are very relieved that Eitan is back with his mother and his sisters, the rest of the family,” she said.