October 7 · Personal story
Ziv Berman
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Kibbutz Kfar Aza
Current outcome
Released alive · October 13, 2025
Released alive on October 13, 2025 after 738 days in captivity.
01
Before October 7
Ziv Berman grew up in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and worked in event production at Syncopa. His mother described him as the older, slightly shorter twin who liked clothes and perfumes, took many work shifts, and had a mischievous sense of humor. His brother Liran recalled that Ziv and Gali had just returned from Costa Rica and Mexico, enjoyed soccer, and played on the kibbutz team. Ziv also arranged work shifts around his father Doron’s Parkinson’s treatment and sent his mother schedules so she could plan support.
02
October 7
On October 7, 2023, Ziv was in his own home in Kfar Aza. His mother called to check that he was inside the safe room and had closed the window. Later, attackers set fire to his house, forcing him out of the safe room and into their hands. Gali’s route was different: he left his own safe room to reach their frightened neighbor Emily Damari. The twins were taken separately, and their family spent days without knowing whether they were alive.
03
Captivity
In their January 2026 interview, Ziv and Gali recalled being held separately for about six months without knowing each other’s fate. Captors then moved Gali to a new location and brought Ziv in. The brothers embraced for almost ten minutes and were held together for two days before being separated again. Ziv also recalled hearing Israeli military activity above the tunnel where he was held with Omri Miran. His legs shook, and the two began saying goodbye because they feared the captors would kill them. Their mother Talia described waiting for news: eyewitness accounts from released hostages reached the family on the 50th day.
04
Return
Ziv returned alive on October 13, 2025, after 738 days in captivity. A photograph published with the brothers’ later interview shows Ziv and Gali together at Re’im that day. On October 19 they returned to their family home in Beit Guvrin. Their mother recalled their father Doron looking from one son to the other as if he could hardly believe they were home. Their aunt Maccabit described waiting until both were in their mother’s arms.
05
Aftermath
Speaking to N12 in January 2026, Ziv described the two years as bad enough and said he did not want to dwell on them. His family recalled the humor that had distinguished him before the kidnapping: the brothers described Ziv as responsible for humor and Gali for doing the work. Talia spoke about her own wait and left much of the public campaign to her sister Maccabit. After the brothers returned, their aunt said she still pinched them and herself to make sure it was real.