"The girls packed clothes in all sizes—we don't know how he will return," Ayelet, Ohad Ben Ami's sister-in-law, said on Saturday ahead of his release after over a year and four months in captivity.
The girls will wait to see his release before heading to Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv to meet him. Their mother, Raz, and Ohad's brother, Kobi, will be at the Re’im reception point to greet him as he returns to Israel.
Earlier, Raz posted images of the sunrise on X, writing that it would be the last time she watched the sun rise without him. "We will watch it together tomorrow," she wrote. "If he is strong enough to get up."
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Her sister Ayelet told Ynet that she had asked Raz to kiss Ohad on behalf of the family. "It will be days before we can see him, so we wanted her to pass on our love. Raz knows what it is like to return from captivity—she herself was held hostage in Gaza," she said. "I've been through this with her and am reliving those memories."
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Ohad Ben Ami's family receives news of his imminent release from Hamas captivity
(Photo: Instagram)
Ayelet said Ohad’s daughters never stopped fighting for his return. "These are three amazing and incredible girls. I am full of admiration after this year and four months," she said. "At first, they fought for both parents, and today, they will finally see their father come back. They packed him clothes in all sizes because they didn’t know how he would return to them. We had no information about him, only that he was alive."
Ella, Ohad's daughter, described the overwhelming joy when they received the news of his release. "What happiness," she said. "Dad is coming home." Sitting on a porch, she embraced her two sisters, sharing in the moment.