An Israeli teenager who was freed from Hamas with her pet Shih Tzu said having her dog with her during her two months in captivity was a “huge help” since the pooch provided “moral support.”

Mia Leimberg, 17, who left Hamas captivity with her pet, Bella, in her arms in one of the most astonishing moments from the week-long cease-fire between Israel and the terrorist organization, said the pooch kept her occupied in Gaza.

“When we were there we had to feed her our leftovers,” the teen said.  “And we had to make sure that she doesn’t run wild where we were. We had to keep her so that she doesn’t go exploring and annoy anybody there.”

Leimberg said it was “difficult” to carry the small dog more than two miles after being released, but she considers herself “lucky enough that I managed to keep her through the whole situation and bring her back” to Jerusalem. 

She also credits Bella’s calm temperament for helping her keep her dog safe in captivity, saying she didn’t think her captors would have let her keep the animal if they thought she was a “bother.” 

“Luckily for me Bella is unlike all the other small dogs that I personally know, she is rather quiet, unless when she is playing or mad,” she said.

She also hid the dog under pajamas as they were being loaded into a vehicle to be driven out of the kibbutz to the hostage location. It wasn’t until they had reached the tunnels that the terrorists realized the animal wasn’t a dog. 

“When they came out of the tunnel they had to climb up a ladder, that’s when the Hamas people noticed that this was not a doll, it was a living, breathing dog,” her father, Moshe, said. “A bit of an argument ensued, and it was decided to let her keep the dog instead of leave it behind.”

After being released, her family was shocked to find her holding the dog. They had spent weeks looking for the little animal. 

“She was worried that something would happen to the dog if she left her behind,” her father, Moshe, said. 

Since her release, she now frequently tells Bella: “I love you to Gaza and back.” 

Leimberg and her mother, Gabriela, were visiting family in Kibbutz Nir Yirzhak when they were taken hostage on Oct. 7 — the start of the war. 

The duo, alongside Bella and her aunt were set free as part of the prisoners-for-hostage swap, which saw more than 100 captives released from Hamas. 

Leimberg said it will “take quite a while” for the experience to “sink in,” but credits her dog as being a “huge help.” 

“She kept me busy. She was moral support,” she said. 

Her family will now continue to fight for the other hostages to be released, including her uncle and aunt’s partner. 

“We miss them every day and it feels wrong being here without them,” she said. “As much as I am happy to be back, we’re still not done.”

With Post wires