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After 482 days, Gadi Mozes, 80, Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Agam Berger, 20, and 5 foreign workers were released Thursday morning from captivity in Gaza. Ynetnews broadcast their return live.
Following the return of Agam Berger to Israel, the seven returning hostages - Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes and five Thai workers were handed over to IDF special forces and Shin Bet forces on Thursday afternoon before heading to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.
Gadi Mozes is transferred to the Red Cross amid a crowd of Gazans.
(Video: Reuters)
They entered Israel at about 2 p.m. and made their way to the initial reception point in the border area. Arbel and Gadi will meet with their families at this point, and the five Thai nationals will meet with Thai government officials.
The Thai workers have been identified as Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchar, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak.
Earlier, a convoy of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives transported the hostages to the meeting point with the Red Cross in Khan Younis. The meeting point was situated near the home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, where a crowd of Hamas and PIJ terrorists gathered. Large crowds swarmed the convoy.
Gadi Mozes surrounded by rioting Gazans during handover to Red Cross custody
Mozes and Yehoud disembarked from one of the vehicles and passed through the rabble toward the Red Cross convoy, which was grounded due to the swarming masses.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the scenes as "shocking." "This is additional proof of the inconceivable brutality of the Hamas terrorist organization. I demand that the mediators make certain that such terrible scenes do not recur, and guarantee the safety of our hostages. Whoever dares to harm our hostages will pay the price," Netanyahu said in a statement.
Another Red Cross team awaited the release of five of the six Thai workers remaining in captivity. Their names were not released.
Arbel Yehoud handed over to Red Cross amid Gaza crowd
Israeli hostages handed over to Red Cross, swarmed by Gaza mob
(Video: Reuters)
The Red Cross reiterated its role in the safe transfer of hostages, saying that while it maintains contact with all parties to ensure the safety of returning hostages and its personnel, it has no control over the timing, location or conditions of the release.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered a delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Thursday, saying that it would not proceed until the safe return of Israeli hostages is secured in the coming days, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. Israel has urged mediators to resolve the issue.
Earlier, PIJ released a short video of Mozes and Yehoud, showing them embracing before their release. The exact date of the recording remains unclear, but PIJ claimed it was filmed “during the final procedures for their handover.”
On Thursday morning, Agam Berger emerged from a PIJ vehicle on her feet and mounted a stage in Jabaliya after Red Cross vehicles arrived at the meeting point. Following the handover, she was taken to IDF troops near the Gaza border; shortly after, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that she had arrived on Israeli soil.
She was reunited with her parents at the initial reception point in the Gaza Strip accompanied by officials from the IDF's Human Resources and Medical Branch and will undergo an initial medical evaluation. Agam's violin was also brought to the scene.
Agam Berger is reunited with her parents
(Video: IDF)
Following the meeting, Berger's family released a statement: "Thank God that we have reached this moment and that our heroine Agam has returned to us after 482 days in the hands of the enemy. Our girl is strong, believing and courageous. We would like to thank the security forces and the entire people of Israel for all the support and prayers. Now Agam and we can begin the rehabilitation process, but the rehabilitation will not be complete until all the hostages return to their homes."
Following her release, the Prime Minister's Office released a statement on the freeing of Agam Berger: "The Government of Israel embraces IDF soldier Agam Berger. Her family has been updated by the responsible authorities that she is with our forces. The Government, together with all of the security officials, will accompany her and her family. The Government of Israel is committed to returning all of the hostages and the missing. "And I will return the captivity of My people Israel." (Amos 9:14).
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
The IDF field observers freed last week watch the release of Agam Berger
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Dozens of Agam's friends and family members gathered in her apartment building in Holon Thursday morning to watch the release; they read a chapter of Psalms and took out a Torah scroll.
"I didn't sleep all night," her friend said. Later, Agam was seen emerging from the rubble of houses in Jabaliya, and her friends shouted: "This is it - this is happening." Her friends added: "Our champion. She looks fine. This is her - this is exactly her. Our heroine, our fighter, we are so proud of her."
Agam Berger's family and friends gather at her apartment in Holon to watch the release
(Video: Ido Erez)
Mozes was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where his partner, Efrat Katz, was murdered. His ex-wife, Margalit Mozes, was also kidnapped but was freed in the first hostage release in November 2023
Born in Hadera, Mozes moved to Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza Strip about 60 years ago as part of a youth movement program. He worked in agriculture, eventually becoming a renowned agronomist who trained generations of farmers in the kibbutz and taught irrigation and crop cultivation courses worldwide, particularly in developing countries.
Berger, a resident of Holon, was abducted from the Nahal Oz outpost just two months after enlisting in the IDF, where she served as a military lookout.In footage from the October 7 attack, Berger is seen with blood-stained face, though it remains unclear whether she was injured or if the blood belonged to fellow soldiers who were murdered in the shelter beside her.
She is the last Nahal Oz lookout still in captivity, following the November 2023 rescue of Ori Magidish and the recovery of Noa Marciano’s body, after she was executed by her captors. This past Saturday, four additional lookouts—Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Karina Ariev and Daniella Gilboa—were freed
Yehoud was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz along with her partner, Ariel Cunio, during the October 7 attack. Her brother, Dolev, left his home that morning to help treat the wounded. After eight months of uncertainty, his body was finally discovered in the kibbutz.
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Under the original terms of the hostage deal, the first groups to be released were female civilian captives. Yehoud was initially slated to be freed in the first or second phase, but due to what Hamas called "technical issues," her release was postponed. Instead, Hamas prioritized the release of the four female military lookouts.
Gadi Mozes and Arbel Yehoud meet before release
In response, Israel refused to open the Netzarim Corridor for humanitarian movement. Following mediation efforts, an agreement was reached to secure Yehoud’s release on Thursday. As part of the deal, the Netzarim Corridor was reopened, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gazans to return to northern Gaza.
The freed hostages will have a basic medical examination at the border before being taken to one of four Israeli hospitals.
First published: 09:49, 01.30.25