BINYAMINA, Israel — Rachel Dancyg never imagined she’d see her dog again after that terrifying day when Hamas militants attacked her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. The same assault that claimed the lives of her ex-husband and brother left her certain that Billie, her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was also lost forever.
That’s why a phone call on Tuesday night felt almost surreal.
A soldier on the line said he had found Billie—alive—in Gaza.
“It feels like a miracle,” Dancyg said, still overwhelmed, as she cradled the now 3½-year-old dog just hours after their reunion. “So many didn’t make it. How did she survive?”
Billie’s return brought an unexpected glimmer of hope amid the heartbreak that’s gripped Israel since the October 7, 2023 attacks. That day, around 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 250 taken hostage. In the months since, Israel’s military response has devastated Gaza, with local health officials reporting over 51,000 Palestinian deaths—more than half women and children.
Nir Oz, Dancyg’s home community, was one of the hardest hit. Nearly a quarter of its 400 residents were killed or abducted. On that day, Dancyg and her family barricaded themselves inside a safe room, holding the door shut for eight hours. In the chaos, Billie was left behind.
“She just vanished,” Dancyg recalled. Friends and neighbors searched, but there was no trace. The family later relocated to northern Israel, their grief deepening as months passed without word.
Then came the unexpected call. Dancyg’s daughter, Lee Maor, was skeptical at first. “I thought it was a mistake. I asked for proof. I needed to see a photo,” she said.
The soldier, reservist Aviad Shapira, had found Billie wandering in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza roughly 15 kilometers from Nir Oz. He said the dog approached his unit and wouldn’t leave their side—perhaps drawn to the sound of Hebrew.
“I called out, ‘Shalom,’ and she jumped right into my arms,” Shapira told Israeli media. Instinct told him Billie didn’t belong there. A scan of her microchip later confirmed it—she had a family waiting.
Now back in her owner’s lap, Billie seems relieved but fragile. She’s thinner and still adjusting. “It’s going to take time to understand what she’s been through,” Dancyg said gently.
While the story of Billie’s return warmed hearts across Israel, her kibbutz community urged people to remember the ongoing pain. A Nir Oz Facebook post called the reunion “a small light in a sea of sorrow.”
The tragedies Dancyg’s family endured remain raw. Her ex-husband, Alex, 76, and brother, Itzhak Elgarat, 68, were both found dead—Alex’s body returned in August, and Elgarat’s earlier this year during a temporary ceasefire.
Though Billie’s survival offers comfort, Dancyg’s heart is still heavy. “I can’t move on, not while others are still held in Gaza,” she said. “This joy is real—but it’s not complete.”
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