The Hostages Coming Home Today

January 30, 2025

by: Hagar Kochavi, Yael Ciechanover, Nina Fox ~ Ynetnews

Thursday, 30 January 2025 | The third phase of the hostage release deal is set to take place Thursday morning, with the release of Gadi Mozes, 80, Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Agam Berger, 20.

Mozes and Yehoud were both held by the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), marking the first time in the current deal that the terrorist group will release hostages in its custody.

Gadi Mozes (80)

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.

Nearly two months after the October 7 attack, Hamas released a proof-of-life video featuring Mozes alongside fellow hostage Elad Katzir. Reacting to the footage, his son Yair Mozes expressed deep concern: “My father looks very thin. You can see he is exhausted. He is usually a very cheerful and lively person, but here, you can see the bags under his eyes—his physical condition is not good.”

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 [collective community] and taught irrigation and crop cultivation courses worldwide, particularly in developing countries.

His son Oded Mozes described him as an involved and supportive father and an active grandfather. “He takes the grandchildren to the pool, on trips and teaches them about potatoes and carrots in the fields,” he said.

Einav Mozes, Oded’s wife, shared the family’s distress over the uncertainty surrounding his captivity. “We know nothing about his condition in captivity, and that is one of the hardest things. Someone you love so much, and you have no idea what’s happening to him,” she told Ynetnews.

“You try to push away intrusive thoughts, but you can’t. Did he even get a piece of flatbread today? He suffers terribly from the cold—was he given a blanket? In the heat, does he have enough water? Is he sleeping on the floor? Are they abusing him? Just being there is already abuse, but how are they treating him? What does he know? What doesn’t he know? A million thoughts, and you’re not there with him. The thought of him being alone in this situation is unbearable.”

Arbel Yehoud (29)

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.

A lifelong space enthusiast, Yehoud developed a passion for astronomy after watching Star Trek as a child. In recent years, she worked at a technology, science and space center in the Eshkol Regional Council. Her mother describes her as “endlessly energetic, sensitive and full of life.”

Her father, Yehiel Yehoud, spoke at the Knesset [parliament], directing an emotional message to his daughter: “Do not break, my love, the soul of our family. We love you and are waiting for you. My child, did you sleep last night? Do your captors beat you? What do they demand of you in exchange for a piece of bread? Are you terrified by the sounds of war? I beg you, my daughter, to stay optimistic because you will return to us, just as you were taken from us.”

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 four female military lookouts—Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev.

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.

Agam Berger (20)

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.

Berger is the daughter of Shlomi and Merav and has a twin sister, Li-Yam, as well as two brothers, Bar and Ilay. A talented violinist, she volunteers with special-needs populations. Her family describes her as strong-willed, outspoken and a fierce advocate for justice.

On November 26, on her father’s birthday, freed hostage Agam Goldstein-Almog called him and relayed a message: “I was with your Agam in captivity, and she asked me to wish you a happy birthday.” Other released hostages said Berger remained steadfast in her beliefs while in captivity, reciting blessings over food and refusing to light fire on the Sabbath.

After viewing the full video of his daughter’s abduction, Berger’s father, Shlomi, shared his devastation: “I had already seen the end of the video on October 8, but watching it in full closed the circle. The sheer number of terrorists on an IDF base—their indifference—they casually ate, smoked, prayed. Nothing threatened them. They came in, kidnapped, murdered and then laughed.”

Posted on January 30, 2025

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by Ynetnews on January 29, 2025. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia