Former Israeli hostage Agam Berger shares more details on her captivity, says she was held mostly by Gazan civilians

The former Israeli hostage Agam Berger who was released in January after 482 days of captivity, shared that the terrorist organization Hamas frequently kept her in civilian homes in Gaza, the Israeli news outlet Ynet reported on Sunday.

Berger and several other female Israel Defense Forces (IDF) lookout soldiers were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists who invaded their military base close to the Gaza border on Oct. 7, 2023. 

Berger recalled that she was kept together with fellow IDF observer Liri Albag. 

"They tell you to be quiet because Hebrew can be heard from outside," Berger said in an interview with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto. Hamas reportedly did not want neighbors to know that Israeli hostages were held in a particular house. 

She admitted that she was terrified during the Israeli aerial strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. 

"They were so scary, especially in the beginning, because you're not used to it. You feel the house moving," Berger recalled. 

“But little by little, the fear subsided a bit,” she added. 

Berger who is religiously observant, revealed that she argued with a terrorist and refused to read a Quran he had brought her. 

Berger further revealed she eventually received Jewish prayer books that Hamas terrorists found in Gaza. 

"The mayor of Gaza received items from his 'soldiers,' and they found two siddurim, a newspaper, and a book by a rabbi – I forgot his name – and they brought them to us. They didn’t know what it was. They saw that it was in Hebrew; there was an IDF signature."

She also reflected on the challenges of observing the Jewish Passover during her captivity in Gaza, particularly the absence of traditional matzot. "There were no matzot," she said, explaining, "so I asked for cornmeal and dates – whatever was available.

"Liri and I drew a Haggadah, as we remember it. A festive atmosphere. And Liri made decorations and things for the table," she recalled. 

Berger recently told Israeli media that her faith sustained her during the long and difficult captivity in Gaza. She decided to embrace the Psalm 119:30 as her motto. 

“I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me,” the psalm states in English. Berger revealed that she found inspiration and consolation from reading the Bible during the captivity. 

“I only started learning now and the Parasha [weekly Torah portion] gives me such an anchor, such a compass."

In addition to her faith, Agam Berger also gained prominence for the braids she made for the other female hostages that were released. The braids eventually became symbols of quiet female strength and resilience amid the difficult conditions as captives in Gaza. 

"Agam braided our hair before we left. It felt like she was giving us a piece of her strength to carry with us,” another former hostage told the news outlet Israel Hayom. 

Many other released Israeli hostages have revealed that Hamas terrorists kept them in civilian family homes in Gaza.

In December 2023, the released French Israeli woman Mia Schem rejected the notion of “innocent civilians” in Gaza.

“It’s important to me to reveal the real situation about the people who live in Gaza, who they really are, and what I went through there,” Schem told Israeli Channel 13 News. 

“I experienced hell. Everyone there are terrorists… there are no innocent civilians, not one,” she said. “[Innocent civilians] don’t exist,” she stressed.