A PET dog snatched by Hamas in the October 7 attacks has been reunited with her owner after 18 months in Gaza.
Billy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was taken when terrorists stormed a house on Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel in 2023.
After the horrific assault, 72-year-old Rachel Derzig emerged from a safe room to find her home burned to the ground — and her beloved dog missing.
But the devastated pensioner never stopped looking for Billy, posting online appeals and putting up flyers.
She even adjusted the dog’s microchip to note that she disappeared during the attack.
But just as her hopes began to fade, Rachel received an incredible phone call that Billy had been found alive.
Soldier Aviad Shapira saw her in rubble approaching Israeli troops.
It is thought the clever pooch recognised them speaking Hebrew.
Aviad said: “She ran towards me and jumped on me. I told myself she would come to Israel with me. I really fought for her to come with me.”
The elite soldier brought Billy back to Israel for a vet check-up, where the chip led her back to her owner.
Rachel wept as Aviad then brought her three-year-old furry friend back to her, who wagged her tail and trotted up to her.
Rachel, whose brother and ex-husband were abducted on October 7 and subsequently killed in captivity, expressed her feelings by stating, “I held onto hope, although I didn’t truly think she was still alive. The news brings me immense happiness.”
Experts believe Hamas killed around 1,200 people and 60 dogs during the October 7 massacre.
