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Avital Dekel-Chen, wife of Sagui Dekel-Chen who was freed from Hamas captivity in the hostage deal, shared their first photos together at home on Tuesday, writing: "We're home, starting fresh."
Sharing a photo of a sunset, she added, "I watched these sunsets for over a year — if you look far enough, you see Gaza. That’s how I communicated with Sagui all this time. I would stand on the balcony, look far and send him strength. Today, I stand here again, still seeing Gaza — but this time, Sagui is beside me."
Two days before his release, Sagui learned that Avital and their daughters had survived Hamas' attack on October 7 for the first time. "You're my hero," Avital told him during their first hug. Sagui responded: "You're heroes, you kept me going."
Avital asked: "Do you remember what you called her?" referring to their third daughter, born after his abduction. "Mazal," Sagui said. "That's her name," Avital confirmed. "Mazal?" he asked in surprise. "Her name is Shahar Mazal," Avital said. "Perfect, what a name," Sagui responded.
His aunt, Gilat Fish, told Ynet that Sagui learned to play chess to pass the time and delivered messages from hostages still held in Gaza while in captivity. "He knew nothing about the situation in Israel, his family or what was happening, whether he was underground or above ground," she said. Like other hostages, he also learned Arabic during his time in captivity.
Sagui, who was released on February 15, spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week for over 10 minutes. He told Netanyahu that only the release of all hostages would bring a true victory.
The conversation was described as positive, with Netanyahu saying he was committed to bringing everyone home. Sagui urged him to set politics aside and act solely on professional considerations, saying he had believed this was how Israel was operating throughout his captivity.
He also told Netanyahu he understood the prime minister had yet to visit Kibbutz Nir Oz, where a quarter of the residents were killed or kidnapped in the October 7 attack. He invited Netanyahu to tour the kibbutz with him to see the devastation firsthand.
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On Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office released a statement saying Netanyahu had also spoken with freed hostage Ohad Ben Ami and their wives. "The prime minister inquired about their recovery and rehabilitation," the statement read.
"He said all Israelis are overjoyed at their return and praised their physical and mental resilience during captivity.
"The prime minister said immense pressure has to be applied to Hamas to secure the releases, as Hamas initially sought to free only a small number of living hostages in the current deal," the statement read.
"The prime minister insisted on maximizing the number of living hostages returned in the first phase of the deal, a goal achieved thanks to our heroic soldiers and resolute decision-making. He vowed to continue working to bring back all hostages, both the living and the deceased."