“INNOCENT CIVILIANS”: Agam Berger Reveals She Was Mostly Held By Hamas In Homes With Palestinian Families

Agam Berger, who was released from captivity, shared her experiences of being moved between hiding locations in Gaza once a month during her time in captivity, in a conversation with Rav Yoshiyahu Pinto, Yedot Achronot reports in today’s edition.

Agam, who was kidnapped from the Nachal Oz base on October 7 by Hamas, explained that she was often confined to homes, some of which belonged to Palestinian families. She recalled that when she and fellow IDF observer Liri Albag were held together, they would listen to the radio and sing along, but then would be told to be quiet.

“They tell you to be quiet because Hebrew can be heard from outside,” she explained, noting that Hamas didn’t want people to realize they were there, and the neighbors were not supposed to know of their presence.

In relation to the airstrikes, Berger said, “They were so scary, especially in the beginning, because you’re not used to it. You feel the house moving.” However, she added, “But little by little, the fear subsided a bit.”

Agam, who was released in late January—one week after fellow IDF observers Karina Ariev, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, and Liri Albag—revealed that she only learned of her release two days before it happened.

She also recounted how she maintained her religious practices during captivity, including an incident where she argued with one of the terrorists after refusing to read the Quran she was given. She explained that two siddurim left by soldiers in Gaza were brought to her, saying, “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 shared how she tried to observe Pesach: “There were no matzos,” she said, “I asked them for cornmeal and dates—whatever was available.” Berger continued, “Liri and I drew a Haggadah, as we remember it. A festive atmosphere. And Liri made decorations and things for the table.”

Regarding Tisha B’Av, she explained, “We saw it on television; they read out the Hebrew date along with the Gregorian one, and then we counted.” She further mentioned that she asked the terrorists about the date for Yom Kippur, and they “somehow managed to find” it. She said, “I hope that was the exact date—Now I’m not really sure if it was the actual date or not, but that’s what they said.”