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After 482 days in captivity, the long-awaited moment finally arrived. Agam Berger, a 20-year-old IDF lookout kidnapped from her post in Nahal Oz on Oct. 7, was reunited with her family on Thursday afternoon after being released by Hamas.
The IDF released footage of Berger’s handover to IDF forces and the emotional reunion with her parents, Meirav and Shlomi, at a forward reception point. From there, she was flown by an Israeli Air Force helicopter to Rabin Medical Center, where she will join four fellow female soldiers who were freed from Hamas captivity on Saturday. She held a message to the window in the helicopter which read "Leve You. Am Yisrael Chai."
Agam Berger meets her parents
(Video: IDF)
Elite IDF forces and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency received Berger inside Gaza from Red Cross personnel after yet another orchestrated release ceremony staged by Hamas in the Jabaliya refugee camp. She was led out of the ruins of destroyed buildings toward a platform set up for the event, where she was seen walking on her own, smiling and even waving.
Her family expressed their relief in a statement: “Thank God we have reached this moment. Our hero, Agam, has returned to us after 482 days in enemy hands. Our daughter is strong, full of faith, and courageous. We want to thank the security forces and all of Israel for the support and prayers. Now, Agam and our family can begin the healing process – but the recovery will not be complete until all the hostages return home.”
Agam Berger meets IDF forces
(Video: IDF)
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also released a statement: “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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
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Agam on stage in front of cheering Hamas supporters in Jabaliya
(Photo: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
Dr. Lena Koren Feldman, director of Beilinson Hospital, where Agam Berger arrived, said the four fellow observers who were freed on Saturday erupted in joy upon hearing the news of her release. “Her return is part of their healing process,” Koren Feldman said.
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

The sign Agam held in the helicopter on way to the hospital: 'Love you. Am Yisrael Chai'
(Photo: Nir Elias/Reuters)
In Holon, dozens of friends and family members gathered outside Berger’s home, reciting Psalms and carrying a Torah scroll in celebration. “I didn’t sleep all night,” one of her friends admitted. When Berger was seen emerging from the ruins in Jabaliya, her friends shouted, “This is it—it’s happening.”
Friends who watched footage of Berger being led by Hamas fighters onto the stage prepared for her release reacted with relief. “Our champion. She looks okay. That’s her—that’s exactly her,” they said. “Our hero, our fighter, we are so proud of her. The nightmare is over. We waited a year to see her again, and now it’s finally over.”