- An Israeli couple was found alive hiding in their shelter after Hamas attacks on Saturday.
- Their family feared they were dead or kidnapped once communication with the couple was cut off.
As Hamas launched brazen attacks across towns in Israel bordering Gaza, one Israeli couple took shelter in their kibbutz near the border, hiding so well that their family feared they were missing or dead.
The family of David and Denise Heiblum feared the couple was killed in the attacks or taken hostage by Hamas after they lost all contact at noon on Saturday, NBC News reported.
But the outcome for the family was surprisingly happy, standing in stark contrast with death, distress and destruction across Israel over the past few days.
While they, like many other families in the country, waited for news of missing loved ones, David Heiblum's father, Pepe, told NBC that he was trying to hold onto hope that his son was still alive.
David Heiblum's cousin, Jacques Butbol, echoed the same sentiment, adding that the family was praying for proof of life from the couple, but they were having a hard time getting any information about their whereabouts from Israeli authorities, NBC reported.
He added that soldiers had stopped by the couple's house when the family first expressed fear that they could be missing but found no evidence that David and Denise Heiblum were there.
The IDF returned and found David and Denise Heiblum still hiding in their shelter in their home, some 58 hours later.
"The army found him, which was a miracle," Butbol said Tuesday, according to NBC. "They were just like, hidden very well in the house. They didn't go out of the house, they didn't do anything for 56, 58 hours."
"Thank God," he said, calling it "at least one good news in these crazy days that we're having."