Gali Berman

Gali Berman (Hebrew: גלי ברמן; born 10 September 1997) is an Israeli civilian who was abducted together with his fraternal twin brother, Ziv, from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 and taken to the Gaza Strip. After 738 days in captivity, he was released on 13 October 2025 together with his brother and 18 other Israeli hostages, as part of the third hostage exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas. The agreement, reached alongside a ceasefire, provided for the release of all living Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Early life

Berman was born on 10 September 1997 to parents Talia and Doron Berman, and grew up in Kibbutz Kfar Aza alongside his twin brother, Ziv. Their father has Parkinson's disease that deteriorated significantly during their captivity. They have a younger brother Liran. The two lived next to each other in the kibbutz's young adults’ neighborhood. In 2010, Gali won the Rika Barkovitch National Children's Writing Competition.

Prior to his abduction, Berman worked together with his brother as a lighting and sound technician. Both brothers were known supporters of the football clubs Maccabi Tel Aviv and Liverpool. The twins were described by news outlets as “Maccabi loving,” and after their return they attended their first football match together at Bloomfield Stadium, thanking supporters for their encouragement during captivity.

Abduction

On the morning of 7 October 2023, during the attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Berman awoke to rocket sirens around the first barrage from the Gaza Strip around 6:30 am. Shortly thereafter, Berman and Damari were abducted together with Berman's twin brother, Ziv, and taken to the Gaza Strip. Reportedly Hamas militants set fire to Ziv's home causing him to leave his safe room and caused him to be abducted.

Captivity

Testimonies from hostages who were later released indicated that Gali and Ziv Berman were separated during their captivity, with neither knowing for the first six months of captivity the status of the other. Reportedly during his captivity Berman kept telling the militants that he wanted to see his brother after learning he was also a hostage. They were among the final group of 20 living hostages brought back in the ceasefire deal, which included medical assessments and reunions with families at hospitals across Israel.

Post-release activities

After their release, Gali and Ziv Berman met with the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog. The brothers were a part of about 20 Israeli hostages that traveled to the White House and President Donald Trump to thank him for his and the United States efforts to assist in the release and support of hostages, in November 2025. While speaking with reporters in January 2026 at their home in Beit Guvrin, Gali and Ziv both expressed their intent and desire to move forward, with Gali stating that they don't want to deal with misery anymore.