While her friends are set to be released on Saturday, Agam Berger, 20, will remain in captivity in Gaza and is expected to be part of the next phase of the agreement, likely next Saturday.
Agam is one of five female soldiers abducted from the Nahal Oz military post who remain in Hamas captivity. Four of them are slated for release in the second phase of the deal. Two other soldiers from the post—Noa Marciano, who was killed at Shifa Hospital and later recovered by the IDF, and Ori Megidish, who was rescued alive—highlight the grave toll of the October 7 terror attack.
Agam’s path to becoming a lookout soldier was unexpected. "She wanted to be a basic training commander," said her mother, Meirav. "But she decided that if this was her role, she’d do her best."
Initially stationed at Kerem Shalom, Agam was reassigned to Nahal Oz just a week before her training course ended. "She asked me, ‘Mom, is this a good thing? Why now?’ I told her some things are beyond our control," Meirav recounted. At the end of the course, Meirav sent her daughter a voice message wishing her well, ending with, "Wherever you are, this is your purpose." Two days later, as those words still resonated, Agam was abducted.
On the morning of October 7, as Hamas attacked, Agam left her phone in her room while fleeing to a shelter. She borrowed a phone from her friend Shirat Yam Amar who was killed on October 7, to call her sister Bar. In her first call, Agam reassured her parents she was safe in a secure area. Twenty minutes later, she made a second and final call, saying, "Mom, they’re shooting at us. There are terrorists. Everyone’s crying, but I’m not afraid."
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On November 26, Agam Goldstein Almog, a fellow captive, was released and called Agam Berger's family before flying on the helicopter back to Israel. "She insisted on reaching us, even before boarding the helicopter," Meirav said. Goldstein Almog described the psychological warfare Hamas used against them, leading captives to believe they had no one waiting for them. Agam had secretly passed her family's phone number along, enabling the call. "She told us she was hungry, prayed often, refused to light a fire on Shabbat, and stayed calm despite everything."
Meirav added that the family’s faith deepened this past year, inspired by Agam’s steadfastness in captivity. "Many have heard of her incredible bravery—how she refused to violate Shabbat, even in captivity. We consulted with rabbis, including representatives of the military rabbinate, and they ruled it permissible for us to travel on Shabbat to welcome her home. May she return safely, God willing."