Saving Abigail is a true story about a little girl taken hostage by Hamas the morning of October 7, 2023, after thousands of terrorists breached Israel by land, sea, and air. That day, Hamas slaughtered 1,200 men, women, and children, and 246 innocent people were dragged across the border into Gaza against their will.

Among them was three-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, whose border community was ransacked by fighters going from house to house and killing, raping, and abducting civilians from their homes. Abigail’s mother and father were murdered in front of their children, and Abigail—the youngest—was abducted.

With no prior experience or road map for how to save a hostage from captivity, Abigail’s great aunt Liz Hirsh Naftali undertook an international effort to share her niece’s face and story—with the US government, bipartisan congressional leaders, and world leaders—finding unlikely allies and supporters along the way. Though not a diplomat, politician, or military expert, Liz was determined to extricate this child from an ongoing geopolitical nightmare and free her from the Hamas terrorists who held her.

Liz Hirsh Naftali is a dedicated humanitarian and advocate for hostages, driven by her personal connection as the great-aunt of Abigail Mor Edan, a three-year-old who was held captive in Gaza for 51 days. Abigail was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, from Kfar Aza, Israel, after her parents were killed. Following this tragedy, Naftali became a tireless advocate for the release of hostages, continuing her efforts even after Abigail’s release on November 26, 2023, to support those still in captivity. In September 2024, Naftali published Saving Abigail, a book recounting her family’s ordeal, with all proceeds supporting her family in Israel and their advocacy for hostage release. 

Beyond advocacy, Naftali is a businesswoman and the creator of The Capitol Coffee Connection podcast, where she hosts diverse leaders to discuss shared human experiences, fostering unity beyond politics. Raised in Los Angeles in a Jewish family, Naftali was shaped by the values of Tzedakah (charity) and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). Her father, Stanley Hirsh, was a prominent Jewish community leader, and her mother, Anita Hirsh, championed Soviet Jewry and Jewish Family Service. Naftali, a mother of five, has lived between Israel and the U.S. since 1992, remaining committed to humanitarian causes and global dialogue.