“We will never leave you again”: families meet the hostages released after 15 months of agony

The families of the three hostages freed from captivity in Gaza adopted their relatives Thursday for the first time in more than 15 months in emotional reunions in the TDI facilities and Israeli hospitals.

The Tsahals Surveillance Surveillance Agam Berger, 20, and civilians Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Gadi Mozes, 80, were released from Gaza Thursday with five Thai hostages.

Berger was released Thursday morning from Jabalia de Northern Gaza and was found with his parents in a TSAhal establishment on the border with Gaza.

A few hours later, Yehoud and Mozes were released in a chaotic and dangerous transfer to Khan Younis in the south of Gaza.

In video sequences of their emotional meeting, Berger’s mother, Merav, was seen in her arms bloody, promising “things will be good, things will be good”.

“We are here and we will never leave you again – forever,” added Merav. “It is the promise of a mother.”

The video also showed a smiling shepherd and crying during a video call with other parents.

After having undergone initial medical assessments in the establishment at the Gaza border, Berger and his parents were transferred by helicopter to the Medical Center Rabin to Petah Tikva.

Images of the Chopper have shown that Berger was holding a panel on a whiteboard while reading: “I chose a path of faith and I returned by a path of faith.”

“Thank you to all the inhabitants of Israel and to the heroic FDI soldiers,” added Berger. “There is no one like you in the world!”

When 105 hostages were released from the captivity of Hamas during a truce of a week in November 2023, some of those who had been detained alongside Berger told her family that she would say blessings on his food, And had said to his kidnappers, who often demanded watery women to cook for them, that she would not do it on the shabbat.

Upon his arrival at the hospital in the center of Israel, Berger was engulfed by his brothers and sisters as they sobbed.

“How are you so big!” She exclaimed to her younger brother. “You are as tall as dad.”

Organized, Agam Berger was found with his brothers and sisters at the Rabin Medical Center on January 30, 2025. (Itai Biton / GPO)

Berger was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023, as well as several other female surveillance soldiers. Four of them – Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag – awaited him in the hospital after their own captivity release on Saturday, where they kissed and cried.

One of the other surveillance soldiers kidnapped, Ori Megidish, was saved alive by troops at the start of the war, and Noa Marciano’s body was recovered after being murdered in captivity.

According to Channel 12 news, Albag tried to scuttle his planned release because Berger was not also released. Finally, the albag kidnappers “gave in” and told him that they were taking him to film a propaganda video. Instead, they took him to the Red Cross to release.

The network reported that Albag and Berger also refused the order of their kidnappers to move in the tunnels, and were rather maintained above the ground, although the conditions are still very poor. The two were forced to cook for their kidnappers, but were not allowed to eat food, and were moved to different places at least 10 times.

A few hours after the Berger’s return to Israeli soil, the FDIs confirmed that Yehoud and Moïse, both detained by a branch of the Palestinian Islamic jihad, also crossed the border in Israel.

The two released hostages, both of Kibbutz Nir Oz, were welcomed with an exhibition set up by farmers from the Gaza border communities of yellow flags – used to symbolize hostages – and Israeli flags, as well as the panels welcoming them at home and hoping for the release of the remaining hostages.

״לא ע 199 דרך כ כי אם מפלסי נתיב״ – חקלאי ניר עוז מחכים לשחרור החטוף גדי מוזס pic.twitter.com/ox2cqmn3jp

– Jonathan Plotnik (@J_Plotnik) January 30, 2025

Yehoud, after the heartbreaking test of his release, was brought together with his family in a TSAhal establishment on the border before leaving for treatment at Sheba Medical Center. Hebrew Media Reports said that she had been detained alone for the duration of her stay in Gaza.

His brother Dolev Yehoud, also of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was assassinated during the attack on October 7, and his partner Ariel Cunio remains hostage in Gaza, his unknown status.

In the hours preceding their release, Islamic Jihad published a propaganda video showing that Yehoud and Mozes meet and embracing (as a compatriots of Nir Oz, they knew each other). According to Hebrew Media Reports, Yehoud’s meeting with Mozes was the first time that she has encountered another hostage.

# شاهد your | س fold.ـ Europe القدس تنشر: الأسرى الصury. wheatver “أربيل يهود” و “جادي موزيس” المحتجزين لدى pic.twitter.com/5mjvrdu5jp

– المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@Palinfoar) January 30, 2025

According to Kan, Yehoud knew that his brother had been killed during the assault on the Kibbutz, but was not aware of the extent of the destruction provided on the community and in southern Israel by the raging terrorists.

The photos published by the authorities have shown at times that Yehoud found his relatives. On an image, she could be seen locked in a tight hug with her family in the establishment of Tsahal near Gaza, while a second showed them transported to the hospital by helicopter.

The old hostage Arbel Yehoud meeting with his family ???? ️

???? The unit of the TSAhal spokesperson pic.twitter.com/uvv87q9sm0

– Government press office ???????? (@Gpoisrael) January 30, 2025

In a declaration on her release, Yehoud’s family said that she was “overwhelmed and extremely moved” that she had been dismissed and that they were now looking at the monumental challenge of rehabilitation like “a bereaved family, who hurts and disappeared our dolev.

They thanked the public for his support throughout the “painful, difficult and excessively long months” which have passed since October 2023.

“Our Arbel was returned. And yet, our mission is not yet over, ”they continued. “Arbel’s partner is always retained in captivity in Gaza, as is his brother David (Cunio), his good friend Sasha (Trufanov), the rest of the hostages of Nir Oz and all the loved ones. We will not rest until not all hostages are released. »»

The family asked that the public respects their private life in the coming days, saying they wanted to be able to give Arbel “the peace and the tranquility they need”.

Mozes was taken to Ichilov hospital after an emotional meeting. In the photos and videos, Mozes could be seen crying when he was kissed by his three children in tears, Moran, Oded and Yair – the latter having refused to shave his beard for 482 days until his return.

“I will do everything I can to rehabilitate Nir Oz,” said Mozes to her children.

“Papa, our father,” said his daughter Moran between the sobs as she kissed him.

Mozes also told his children that, in captivity, he heard his ex-wife Margalit addresses the media. Margalit was also removed on October 7, but was released during the truce of a week in November 2023.

“I heard a little of your mother, speaking on the radio,” he said. His longtime partner Efrat Katz was killed during the Hamas on Nir Oz.

In separate images, Mozes told another family member: “I saw you on television!”

Kan News reported that Mozes told his family that he had never stopped believing that he would be released from captivity, and that he continued to move forward by rebuilding Nir Oz and his community broken.

He was not held alone, Channel 13 reported, but was moved between houses and apartments to underground tunnels as well as other hostages.

Seventy-nine of the 251 hostages removed by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including bodies of at least 34 dead confirmed by the FDI.

Hamas has so far published 15 hostages-10 Israelis and the five Thai nationals-during a cease-fire that started this month. The terrorist group released 105 civilians during a truce of a week at the end of November 2023, and four hostages were published before that.

Eight hostages were rescued by living troops, and the bodies of 40 hostages were also recovered, three of whom were mistakenly killed by the Israeli army as they tried to escape their captors.

Hamas also holds two Israeli civilians who entered the strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of a TSAhal soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another TDI soldier, also killed in 2014, Was recovered from Gaza this month.