Her ex-husband and brother were kidnapped and killed by Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel. She thought her beloved pet suffered the same fate. So it was hard to believe when a soldier called his family on Tuesday night to tell them that Billy was found alive in Gaza.
“It’s a miracle,” Danche told the Associated Press hours after reuniting with her now 3 1/2-year-old Cavalier Charles Kings Spain. “It doesn’t make sense…people don’t survive. How did she survive?”
After 18 months of war of destruction, the gathering brought rare joy in Israel.
On October 7, 2023, the Hamas attack killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 people. There are still nearly 60 hostages in Gaza, more than half of which are considered dead.
According to local health authorities, the Israeli offensive caused more than 51,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, and caused rubble to much of Gaza. The U.S.-led efforts to promote a ceasefire and bring back the remaining hostages appear to be in a state of stagnation.
Nir Oz is one of the popular communities, and nearly a quarter of about 400 residents were killed or captured in the 2023 attacks. For the Israelis, this is a manifestation of the country’s vulnerability that day. It took the soldiers several hours to respond. Some families say they have seen Hamas militants kill or kidnap animals.
It is unclear how Billie ended in Gaza. When Hamas entered Danshi’s home, she hid in a safe room with her family for eight hours and closed the door. But she ran away so quickly that she didn’t have time to find the dog. For months, the community has been searching for Billy everywhere, but there is no trace of her.
The family later moved to Northern Israel.
Then, on Tuesday night, Danxi’s daughter received a call from a soldier who had just returned from Gaza. He said he had their dog.
“I couldn’t believe it. I asked for a photo. I was really confused,” said her daughter Lee Maor.
The soldier said he discovered Billie in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a few days ago, about 9 miles (15 kilometers) from Kibbutz, and she immediately became fascinated by his troops without leaving their side. He told them that it might be because Billy heard them speak Hebrew.
Aviad Shapira, a reserve soldier, said in an interview with Israeli TV that he found Billy in the rubble and called on her. He said, “I said ‘shalom’ and she jumped on me.”
Shapila said he had a feeling that she did not belong to Gaza and there was a story behind her. He took the dog to the veterinarian and found the family’s contact information on the chip inside the animal.
Danxi touched Billy on her knees and said it would take time to see how the Odyssey affected her. Danxi said Billy seemed happy to go home, but she seemed to be lost and lost weight.
While Israeli media happily covered Billy’s return, the Neil Yuan Oz community reminds people not to forget about family experiences. In Facebook posts, Kibbutz called reunion a “very sad little light.”
Dancy’s ex-husband’s body was recovered by the army and returned in August. The body of her brother, 68-year-old brother Itzhak Elgarat, was returned earlier this year as part of a ceasefire.
For Dance, Billy’s reward gave her some sense of closure. But she said it was bittersweet to know that Gaza still has hostages.
“As long as they are there, I can’t get rid of this trauma,” she said.
