Emotional reunions between former hostages as captives released last week head home

Two recently released hostages, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, were reunited on Saturday with fellow hostages Omer Wenkert and Tal Shoham, who were both released in the February ceasefire deal. 

Images and video footage of the reunion were posted to social media. All four were held together in Hamas captivity for several months.

Omer Wenkert was held in Gaza with Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa Dalal. When he was released last February, he was forced to leave his two friends behind in the tunnels.

Today, they finally met again, not as hostages, but as free men. pic.twitter.com/wOUU3ZBPvb

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 18, 2025

The emotional video of their reunion was shared widely on social media after it was posted on Wenker's Instagram channel with the caption, "A nightmare that ended – a dream that begins.” 

The two recently released hostages were also seen holding guitars, which they received as a gift from an Israeli guitar company, Wild Guitars, and the Israeli fan group of the American heavy-metal band Avenged Sevenfold. 

During their captivity, Evyatar David told Omer Wenkert about his dream of owning a particular electric guitar. Following news of their impending release, Wenkert arranged for guitars to be gifted to his fellow hostages.

The band’s lead singer, Matt Sanders, who goes by the stage name “M. Shadows,” sent the two hostages a video message welcoming them home, which was later shown to them. In a reaction clip, Gilboa-Dalal appears visibly shocked as he watches the message.

The lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold, also known as A7X, sent a video to former hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa Dalal, welcoming them home.

A7X is the duo’s favorite band of all time, and their reaction to hearing them play again — and receiving a heartfelt message — is… pic.twitter.com/SidKfdIMIL

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 15, 2025

Another emotional reunion between former hostages was captured by another hostage, Ohad Ben Ami, who was also released in February. He can be seen greeting Elkana Bohbot, Bar Kupershtein, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, and Maxim Herkin. 

An emotional reunion: Ohad Ben Ami, who survived 491 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza before his release in February 2025, reunites with Elkana Bohbot, Bar Kupershtein, Yosef-Chaim Ohana, and Maxim Herkin. They were held hostage alongside him and freed on October 13, 2025, after… pic.twitter.com/OQgRvz5IFK

— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) October 18, 2025

Ben Ami shared a video message with the four companions last Monday, when they were released from Hamas captivity. He addressed them: “Elkana, Yosef, Bar, Segev, Maxim, my souls, I love you.” 

“Listen well, all of the nation of Israel waited for you, is waiting for you,” Ben Ami told them. “You can’t imagine what was going on here. I will finally see you and hold you; we will do all the things we planned after you reunite with your families.” 

He also reassured them that they would recover from their ordeal, noting his own weight gain after returning in an emaciated state. 

“You’ll recover, you’ll see, I regained all of my weight,” Ben Ami said in the video last week. “I love you, you’re so strong, you held on, I’m so proud of you, I love you, love you!” 

The reunion between the five hostages took place before their release from Sheba Hospital in central Israel on Sunday. 

Videos and images of the hostages circulated widely on Israeli social media on Sunday as they were discharged from hospitals following their return to Israel.