CENTRAL ISRAEL (Reuters) -The world came to know her as the little Israeli-American girl who lost her parents in Hamas’ October 7 attack and was abducted by the militant group to Gaza. Two years on, with a new pink backpack, she’s off to her first day of school.

“She was so excited,” said her aunt and adoptive mother, Leron Mor, recalling how Avigail packed and unpacked her new backpack the night before she started first grade. “She was just glowing,” Leron said, her voice breaking with emotion.

For Avigail’s family, every moment of joy also bears pain.

“Every time there’s an important event, it’s bittersweet,” Leron said. “We’re happy for them, but we know how much they miss their mum and dad and how much they should have been here.”

Avigail was three years old when Hamas militants ra

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