You’ve probably seen the grainy footage of the two brothers by now. The ones with the matching bear tattoos and the "Maccabi-loving" grins. When Gali and Ziv Berman finally stepped back onto Israeli soil in October 2025, after 738 days in the dark, it wasn't just a news cycle ending. It was a glitch in the universe being corrected.
Honestly, for two years, the "Berman twins" were names on a poster. They were the "Kfar Aza twins." But if you actually talk to the people who grew up with them, or if you listen to the way they spoke in their first major interview with Channel 12 after getting home, you realize the media version of their story is kinda flat.
They aren't just a collective unit. They are two very different men who just happen to share a face and a birthday.
The October 7 Reality vs. The Legend
Most people think they were snatched together from the same room. That’s not what happened. On that Saturday morning in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the twins were actually in separate houses in the "young generation" neighborhood. This part of the kibbutz is right against the fence. It was the first place the attackers hit.
Gali didn't stay in his safe room. He heard his friend and neighbor, Emily Damari, was alone and terrified. So, he grabbed a kitchen knife—basically a butter knife against assault rifles—and ran to her. He sent a photo to his mom, Talia, just to show he was okay. Then, the silence started.
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Meanwhile, Ziv was trapped in his own home. The attackers couldn't get into his safe room, so they set the entire house on fire. Imagine that choice. Stay and burn, or walk out into the hands of people who want you dead. He chose to live. He walked out, and he was taken.
Life in the Tunnels: Two Years Apart
For a long time, the world assumed they were together, leaning on each other. That's the "Twin Power" narrative. But the reality was much more brutal. They were separated for the vast majority of those 738 days.
They weren't just "hostages." They were lighting technicians for the Festigal. They were Liverpool FC fans who probably spent hours in the dark wondering if their team won the Premier League. Gali later described a moment—around day 183—where he was shoved into a tunnel with a microphone and a camera. He thought it was another propaganda video. Then, they brought in Ziv.
They cried. They hugged for ten minutes straight while Hamas filmed them. And then? They were pulled apart again. They didn't see each other again for another nine months.
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Why Gali and Ziv Berman Still Matter in 2026
There is this misconception that once the ceasefire happened in October 2025 and the guys came home, the story was over. It’s not. Not by a long shot. Their father, Doron, has Parkinson's and dementia. When they were taken, he basically stopped fighting. He stopped eating. He’s still in the hospital.
The family is "whole," but it's a fractured whole.
Gali and Ziv have been very vocal since their release. They aren't interested in being symbols of misery. "We had misery for two years. Enough," Gali said. You'll see them at Bloomfield Stadium now, watching Maccabi Tel Aviv. They are trying to reclaim the "high life" Ziv loves—shopping, travel, and the "goofball" energy they were known for before the world learned their names.
The Negotiated Return
Their release wasn't an accident or a rescue. It was a cold, hard deal brokered by the US. They were among the final 20 living hostages to come out.
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When they arrived at the Re'im base, they weren't the "victims" everyone expected. They were thin, sure. They were scarred. But they were also the same guys who used to work the soundboard at Sincopa. Within months, they were back on the Festigal stage—not as workers this time, but as guests of honor, lighting up the venue where they used to work the cables.
The Actionable Truth
If you're following the aftermath of the October 7 crisis, the Berman twins represent the "successful" return, but their story carries a specific weight for the future of hostage recovery and trauma.
- Acknowledge Individual Identity: Even in tragedy, the twins are individuals. Ziv is the "prankster" who loves style; Gali is the "fixer" and the motivator. Understanding them as people, not just a "set," is vital for their social reintegration.
- Support Local Communities: Kfar Aza was decimated. More than 60 people died there. Recovery for the Bermans is tied to the recovery of the kibbutz movement.
- Keep the Pressure on Remaining Cases: The twins themselves have stated that "real reconstruction" as a country doesn't happen until the last of the remains are returned for burial.
The next step is to look beyond the viral reunion videos. Supporting the Hostages and Missing Families Forum or local kibbutz rebuilding initiatives is how you actually turn "awareness" into something that helps people like Gali and Ziv stay home for good.