In the country club in Kiryat Ata — where his father, Vasily, works — a warm welcome ceremony was held Tuesday for Maxim Herkin, 36, of Tirat Carmel, who was released after 738 days as a hostage held by Hamas. He said he is “recovering slowly” and shared an emotional moment meeting his 5‑year‑old daughter, Monica, calling the encounter “moving.”
“Day by day, it’s getting better,” Herkin told reporters. “You can see it for yourself — look at all the people here.”
Vasily, a long‑time fitness instructor at the club, helped coordinate the event, and local residents were invited to attend. The club also publicly called on its members to welcome Herkin enthusiastically, and the city’s mayor, Yaakov Peretz, joined the reception.
Herkin expressed deep gratitude to those who had gathered. “Thank you so much for coming. It’s very emotional. Maybe you think I’ve gotten used to this, but I haven’t — I’m very emotional and it’s still hard for me to speak,” he said. “I have a storm of feelings inside — love and warmth that I’m receiving from you. Again and again, I want to thank you. In the end, part of the reason I’m here and free and standing in front of you is because of you — your fight, your determination and your unity.”
“I love each and every one of you,” he added, choking up as he described a tribute from local children. “I love kids! It’s so emotional. This unity we feel now — it’s in the air, in every heart. Don’t lose it. It’s an incredible achievement. Hold on to it, build it, help one another, stay together. Only that way will we overcome every obstacle and move forward. We deserve to live happily.”
In an interview with journalist Lior Dayan, Herkin described meeting his five-year-old daughter Monica for the first time since his release. “She recognized me,” he said. “It was incredibly emotional — it gave me strength. It was a dream come true.”
Asked whether he feared he would never see her again while held in Hamas tunnels beneath Gaza, Herkin admitted there were dark moments. “There were a lot of thoughts, yes. But there’s always hope. You see the people, you see what they’re doing for us. So you try to push away the bad thoughts and cling to that rope of hope people gave us.”
Asked what he promised his daughter when they reunited, Herkin said, “I promised her — I told her I’m back, I love her, and I’ll be with her always. Thank you, thank you.”
Herkin was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7, and, though Hamas reportedly said in February that it would “consider” Russia’s request for the release of Herkin — whose daughter and mother hold Russian citizenship — he remained captive in Gaza. Before the attack, he had visited his daughter in Russia. After returning to Israel, he was kidnapped four days later.
Upon his return, Herkin appeared visibly thin and pale. According to his family, he hid his Israel Defense Forces rank by discarding his phone and holster at the time of his kidnapping, and endured “inhuman conditions” that demonstrated his enormous physical and mental endurance.