Liran Berman calls his brothers, Gali and Ziv, ‘the light of every room [they] walk into.’
Twins Gali and Ziv were taken hostage from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. He told Fox News Digital that it was fitting that they brought light into every room, as the two brothers were lighting technicians.
While most Israelis in their 20s move to the center of the country to live in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Gali and Ziv opted to stay in their family’s home in southern Israel. They wanted to help their mother care for their father, who is suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Liran told Fox News Digital that his brothers were ripped from their beds while sleeping late on a Saturday during a holiday weekend.
The Berman brothers were kidnapped together from the kibbutz, but their family has since learned from released hostages that they were separated shortly after arriving in Gaza. They are not the only brothers who were separated. Iair Horn was freed from Hamas captivity in February 2025 but had to leave his brother, Eitan, behind in Gaza.
‘This is the longest they’ve been separated in their whole lives,’ Liran told Fox News Digital. Gali and Ziv were kidnapped along with Emily Damari, who was freed during the most recent ceasefire deal. When he spoke with Fox News Digital, Liran said he had not had a chance to talk to Emily since her release.
‘Gali and Ziv have done nothing wrong to anyone. They are victims of a conflict,’ Liran told Fox News Digital.
The Berman family received signs of life after Gali and Ziv had spent more than a year in Gaza. Prior to the confirmation, which has come from freed hostages, Liran said his family ‘fought with the belief that my brothers were alive.’
‘It was a breath of fresh air, really it’s, it’s — For more than a year, we fought with a belief that they are still alive, nothing more. Because for more than a year we had information from November ‘23 and until late January ’25 we didn’t know anything,’ Liran told Fox News Digital. ‘It gave us strength. We have the knowledge now that they are alive, not just a belief.’
Liran believes that President Donald Trump has the power to secure his brothers’ release. He told Fox News Digital that Trump’s election brought a ‘different atmosphere’ to the negotiations.
‘We are in awe of what President Trump has done in his short term this far, and we are still hopeful that with the current administration we will see the remaining hostages, until the last one. Because that’s what they promised us. Until the last one will be home. It gives us a lot of strength,’ Liran told Fox News Digital. He also described himself as a ‘firm believer in the Trump effect.’
When asked about the renewed anti-Israel unrest on U.S. college campuses, Liran told Fox News Digital that he wants those students to realize that they are not so different from Gali and Ziv. They are around the same age and likely share the same interests.
‘I want them to know that Gali and Ziv have their whole lives ahead of them,’ Liran told Fox News Digital. ‘And I want them to know that Gali and Ziv are missed by so many people.’