Among those freed Monday were Gali and Ziv Berman, 28-year-old twins kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza; soldier Matan Angrest, 22; and security guard Eitan Mor, 25, who was captured while protecting others at the Nova festival. Their homecomings were marked by emotional reunions, but also by the haunting memories of captivity shared by survivors and family members.
Several hostages’ stories have become symbols of national endurance. Pianist Alon Ohel, 24, who was kidnapped at the festival, was reunited with his family after spending more than a year in chains. Another freed captive, 48-year-old Omri Miran, had been taken from his kibbutz while his family — including two infants — were held hostage next door.
Yet the day also brought grief. Israel confirmed that two hostages previously believed alive — 24-year-old Nepali student Bipin Joshi and 20-year-old Israeli soldier Tamir Nimrodi — had died in captivity. Their families, who had campaigned tirelessly for their release, were devastated by the news.
As the ceasefire holds, families of the remaining hostages continue to press for answers. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which has organized weekly demonstrations in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square for nearly two years, said the releases are a step forward — but not closure.
For Israelis, the images of the freed — tired, thin, but alive — offer a measure of relief amid lingering uncertainty. And for many, their return renews the painful but enduring hope that the war’s final chapter may soon close with every hostage accounted for and every family made whole.