“Free And Back Home”: Twin Brothers’ Emotional Reunion After Hamas Captivity Goes Viral

In a poignant moment symbolising hope amid prolonged anguish, Israeli twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman shared a tearful hug upon their release from Hamas captivity on October 13, a video of which rapidly went viral across social media. The 28-year-olds, abducted together from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7, 2023, terror attack, were among the first seven hostages freed under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and prisoner swap deal that ended the 24-month Gaza conflict. Handed over to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip, the brothers—separated for the first time in their lives during captivity—embraced immediately, their reunion captured in images shared by the IDF and reposted by the Israeli Embassy in London with the caption: "Gali and Ziv Berman, free and back home."

The Bermans, lighting and sound technicians who worked for their kibbutz's production company and were ardent fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and Liverpool, were kidnapped in the early hours of the assault that killed over 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 taken hostage. Living in adjacent apartments in Kfar Aza—a border community devastated with 62 residents slain and 18 abducted—Ziv and Gali fled to safe rooms as militants set their homes ablaze. Gali was seized while attempting to aid neighbour Emily Damari, a British-Israeli released in February 2025, while Ziv escaped his burning residence only to be captured shortly after. Their family received indirect signs of life in February 2025 via accounts from earlier freed hostages, confirming the twins were alive but held separately, enduring injuries and isolation that their older brother Liran described as the longest separation the inseparable duo had ever faced.

As the only remaining captives from Kfar Aza among 20 living hostages released in the deal's first phase, the brothers' liberation marked a milestone in the Trump administration's phased plan to conclude the war, which included Hamas freeing all remaining live abductees in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a permanent truce. Transferred to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan for evaluation, Ziv and Gali arrived to thunderous applause from hundreds of well-wishers chanting, "The people of Israel live." Donning Maccabi Tel Aviv jerseys—their first request upon freedom—they waved gratefully, smiles breaking through evident exhaustion. The Israel Foreign Ministry amplified the joy, posting: "We've been waiting 738 days to say this—Welcome home, Alon, Eitan, Guy, Ziv, Gali, Omri, and Matan!" Their release, alongside figures like Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Segev Kalfon, brought the total freed in November 2023 deals to over 100, though 28 slain hostages' remains and intelligence on others remain outstanding.

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The viral footage, viewed millions of times, has resonated globally as a testament to familial bonds unbroken by trauma, with celebrities and politicians from their music industry circles joining calls for full hostage accountability. For the Berman family—comprising four brothers raised by a mother who once quipped about expecting daughters but birthing sons—the homecoming offers tentative healing after nearly two years of vigils and advocacy. As Gaza transitions under international oversight, the twins' story underscores the human toll of the conflict, where resilience amid separation now paves the way for rebuilding shattered lives in a kibbutz forever scarred.

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