Renana Gome, the mother of 16-year-old Or and 12-year-old Yagil Yaakov, reunited with her children late on Tuesday after they spent 52 days in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip. They were released in the fourth round of the hostage release deal with the terrorist organization.
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In a photo Gome posted to her Facebook account, she is seen embracing her two sons with an expression of immense relief and joy at their return home.
"HOME," she captioned the photo uploaded to an account she dedicated in recent weeks to advocating for the release of her children and other Israeli hostages, along with numerous other previous posts as part of the campaign to secure their release.
A family member who was with them at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, where all 11 hostages freed in the fourth phase of the hostage deal were taken on Monday, said, "They’re adjusting to a new reality. Feeling relieved. Renana is now with her children and won’t leave them alone. We’re all excited. They mostly need their peace now."
Or and Yagil, residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, were abducted into Gaza on October 7 while alone in their home, taking refuge in the family safe room. During the incident, they were able to alert their mother about the terrorists who had infiltrated the community.
"Don't take me, I'm too young," 12-year-old Yagil was heard telling the kidnappers before the call to his mother cut off. In a video released by the Islamic Jihad, Yagil was shown alongside Hana Katzir, who was part of the first batch of hostages released in the deal. On Monday, the brothers returned to Israel, while their father, Yair, and his partner, Meirav Tal, remained in Gaza.
The Abducted and Missing Families Forum said Or, the older brother, is "a sensitive child, full of heart. Gentle, sensitive to others, polite, calm and very modest and shy. A naive child loved by his close relatives and friends. He loves playing Fortnite, going to the gym and following fitness influencers and YouTubers. He’s a young man with self-discipline and determination, who knows how to set goals for himself and achieve them. He’s an independent child, and it is important for him to work to support himself."
On his brother, Yagil, the forum added, "He loves being at the center of attention, always surrounded by his friends. He’s the class clown and a boy with a very developed sense of humor. He loves listening to music at full volume. In addition, he loves fashion and luxury brands, has a lot of style and likes to update and post content on his TikTok account."