This is the second birthday they have had while in Gaza. A table marking their birthday was set up in Kfar Aza in their honor.
Israeli hostages Gali and Ziv Berman marked their 28th birthday on Wednesday while still held captive by Hamas in Gaza, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum announced.
The twin brothers were taken hostage by Hamas from Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023, and have remained in captivity ever since.
This is the second birthday they have had while in Gaza. A table marking their birthday was set up in Kfar Aza in their honor.
“Our beloved Gali and Ziv, how we feared this day would come – a second birthday in hell. You are 28 years old today, though we’re not sure you even know it,” the Berman family said in a statement.
“We watch videos from past birthdays, from the normal world, and our hearts break. You were surrounded by your closest friends, celebrating in your vibrant neighborhood, drawing everyone to you like magnets. Eating, drinking, and being carefree. You have lost your freedom and control over your own lives.
Hostage families speak at a rally in Tel Aviv, 29 July 2024. (credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum, Paulina Patimer)
“We imagine that you have been reunited, that you are embracing each other, encouraging and strengthening one another. We know you don’t understand how you can still be there, or when you will be free again.
“We promise you this will happen – you will return to the safe embrace of your mother. Hold on just a little longer, survive, and dream of a happy ending.”
The family further called on the government to end the war and bring the Berman brothers, along with all the other hostages, home.
Gali and Ziv Berman: Twin brothers held hostage in Gaza
The Berman twins are among the 48 hostages still held by Hamas. While their current statuses are unknown, their family received signs of life from them in early 2025 when some of the hostages who were freed in the 2025 hostage deal reported they were still alive.
Earlier in September, their brother spoke about their then-upcoming birthday.
“Ziv [Berman] and Gali [Berman], my little brothers, will mark another birthday in captivity next week,” Liran Berman said at an event at Hostage Square.
“Just 100 kilometers from here. They are holding on. We are their lifeline, their extra quarter of a pita, their oxygen.
“A year ago, we were told about the murder of six hostages in Rafah. Now I want you to imagine that in another week, or two weeks, or three, we are told that another hostage has been murdered.
“This is not some theoretical nightmare; this is something that could happen at any moment.
“A birthday should be a day of joy, of family, of cake and candles. But for us, the celebration has become a cry. Every birthday spent in captivity is not just another date; it is an open wound reminding us that your lives have been stolen, and that we must never allow ourselves to grow used to this.”