After More Than Two Years in Captivity, the Remaining Surviving Israeli Hostages – Including Two Additional ACLJ Clients – Have Been Released by Hamas

“… to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’” – Isaiah 49: 8-9

After more than two long years in captivity - enduring abuse and assault - the last surviving Israeli hostages, violently abducted on October 7, 2023, have been returned home to their loved ones. Among them were ACLJ clients, Gali and Ziv Berman. Looking beyond the anger and heartbreak, today, I can only think of the Hebrew word hodu, which means “give thanks.” We must stop and give thanks to God for keeping them alive and delivering them safely to their families and friends.

As reported in The Times of Israel:

Israel joined the families in celebration on Monday as Hamas released the 20 remaining living hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, who came to Israel to mark the event.

Hamas is yet to release the remains of 28 dead hostages, despite being required to do so under the deal that would bring some closure to the national trauma that began when the terror group took 251 hostages back to Gaza after massacring some 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.

The first seven living hostages — Matan Angrest, Alon Ohel, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Guy Gilboa-Dallal and twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman — were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza City, in the Strip’s north, at about 8 a.m. and transferred to Israeli forces inside Gaza about an hour later.

Finally, after two long, tear-filled years, the families of the remaining living hostages can rejoice that their loved ones are home safely. We know the hostages will have a long road to recovery, physically and emotionally. And the families of the deceased hostages can properly mourn their loved ones and continue the healing process.

According to reports, all 20 hostages returned to Israel “pale and frail, but smiling and standing on their legs, with most of them held in horrific conditions in tunnels deep under Gaza, where many faced abuse, starvation, and received limited medical treatment.”

Obviously, no one will ever forget the horrific images of October 7, when violent, deadly, and evil attacks on the people of Israel unfolded before the eyes of the world. Thousands of innocent souls were beaten, abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered by the Islamist militant movement Hamas. When the dust cleared, Hamas had slaughtered 1,200 and abducted over 250 Israelis making it the deadliest action against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. For over two years, the ACLJ has been working non-stop on Capitol Hill and at the United Nations – representing several hostages and their families, urging swift international intervention to free them and hold Hamas accountable.

While representing the families of several hostages, my dad, ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, and I traveled to Congress with hostages' family members to share their stories and advocate on their behalf. Today's release of brothers Gali and Ziv make a total of eight hostages who have been represented by the ACLJ, and then released and returned to their loved ones.

In 2023, we successfully advocated for the release of the Brodutch family who were held in captivity for over 50 days. Among the family members released included the mother, Hagar Brodutch, 40, along with her children –Ofri, 10; Yuval, 9; and Oriya, 4. And earlier this year, two more of our Israeli hostage clients, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, were freed after enduring more than 15 months in Hamas captivity.

ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, shared his reaction to this long-awaited homecoming:

Now that the fighting has stopped, and the hostages have been returned, Israel will need to be extremely wise in how they deal with Hamas, while protecting Israelis and maintaining peace. We are grateful that the hostages are home, and now we await the tragic return of the remains of the last hostages who died while being held in captivity.

We stand with Israel. We pray for peace. We give thanks for the survivors. Please join us in praying for those freed and their families as they recover and heal.

And lastly, we remain cautiously optimistic for lasting peace.