Former hostage Agam Berger performs at Air Force pilot's graduation ceremony
Former Gaza hostage Agam Berger performed the song "They Will Always Wait for You" on the violin alongside the IDF's military band at the 190th Air Force graduation ceremony on Thursday.
The Israel Air Force's Wing Ceremony took place at Hatzerim base with President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington at the time of the ceremony.
Berger, an IDF observer who was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz base on October 7, noted, was released in January 2025.
Berger enlisted after a year of preparatory military service at "Gal" in Akko with the "Acharei" program. While training to be an observer, she was selected to be the platoon commander's assistant, and was chosen as a candidate for the 'Stars' track, which identifies candidates for command positions.
When asked to explain why she deserved to join the track, she wrote that she saw the role as a mission and wanted to provide soldiers with a sense of faith and security.
During the course, Agam was stationed at the Kerem Shalom outpost, and one week before the end of the course, her assignment was changed, and she arrived at Nahal Oz.
Berger was kidnapped along with her fellow observers Naama Levy, Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Ori Megidish, and Noa Marciano.
Karina, Daniella, Naama, and Liri were released in the second wave of the exchange that same month. Ori was rescued in a joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet, and Noa Marciano was murdered in captivity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
11 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump claims Hamas refused to make a deal to release remaining hostages
Fox News contributor and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joins 'Fox News Live' to discuss President Donald Trump's latest comments on Hamas' refusal to release the remaining hostages.
an hour ago
USAID analysis finds no evidence of widespread aid diversion by Hamas in Gaza
An analysis compiled by USAID officials examining more than 150 reported incidents involving the theft or loss of U.S.-funded humanitarian aid in the war-torn Gaza Strip says it failed to find any evidence that Hamas -- the militant rulers of the Palestinian enclave -- engaged in widespread diversion of assistance, according to a presentation reviewed by ABC News. The findings of the report appear to undercut the Trump administration's repeated claims that Hamas has regularly interfered with aid distribution in the past -- assertions it has used to justify its support for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and for measures undertaken by Israel to limit the flow of assistance to neighboring Gaza through other pathways. The GHF -- with Israel's approval and despite rejection from the United Nations -- took over most of the aid distribution system in Gaza on May 27, after an 11-week Israeli blockade on all supplies from entering the strip. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid provided by the U.N. -- formerly the main distributor -- and others to fund its militant activity -- claims which Hamas denies. Israel has allowed a limited amount of supplies into Gaza since lifting the blockade and, according to an Israeli security official, is "coordinating future airdrops of aid" by foreign countries "that are expected to take place in the coming days." This comes after a coalition of more than 100 organizations warned this week that "mass starvation" is spreading in Gaza with "supplies now totally depleted." USAID officials behind the presentation say they analyzed alleged incidents of fraud, abuse and waste reported between October 2023, when the ongoing Israel-Hamas war began, and last May. It was compiled before the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) -- once the world's largest single donor of humanitarian aid -- officially ceased independent operations on July 1. The Trump administration canceled more than 80% of the agency's programs, while the remainder were absorbed by the U.S. Department of State. USAID officials say their findings indicate that in the majority of cases involving the loss of aid, the perpetrator could not be definitively identified. The Israel Defense Forces denied the report in a statement to ABC News, saying "not only does the report ignore clear and explicit evidence that Hamas exploits humanitarian aid to sustain its fighting capabilities, it goes so far as to criticize the IDF for routing decisions made specifically to protect humanitarian staff and shipments." The IDF added that when it "directs aid deliveries along specific routes, it is based on the operational reality and intelligence assessments, aimed at safeguarding both the aid and the humanitarian actors — precisely the issue the report claims is not being addressed." The State Department is also pushing back forcefully on the analysis, which was first reported by Reuters, as well as media coverage related to the matter. A State Department spokesperson called it "astonishing" that "the media is busy debating whether the masterminds of Oct. 7 are somehow too principled to loot." "There is endless video evidence of Hamas looting, not to mention members of the aid-industrial complex who have admitted that looting exists by reporting it as 'self-distribution,' in a poor attempt at an aid corruption coverup," the spokesperson said. "Available intelligence confirms what is reflected in open-source information: that a significant portion of non-GHF aid trucks have been diverted, looted, stolen, or 'self-distributed.'" Despite this, the Trump administration -- a staunch ally of Israel -- has provided no evidence of Hamas carrying out widespread aid diversion to date. The IDF said it is "making tremendous efforts to enable the safe distribution of humanitarian aid under complex operational conditions." The ongoing Gaza war erupted after Hamas led a surprise terror attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people there and taking 251 others hostage, according to figures from the Israeli government. Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 59,000 people in Gaza, according to data released by the strip's Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
At least 42 Palestinians, some seeking aid, killed by Israeli gunshots and strikes in Gaza amid famine concerns
At least 42 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunshots overnight and into Saturday, according to Palestinian hospital officials and the local ambulance service on Saturday, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Palestinians in Gaza face famine. Gunfire killed at least a dozen people waiting for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel in the north, said staff at Shifa hospital, where bodies were taken. Israel's military said it fired warning shots to distance a crowd "in response to an immediate threat," and it was not aware of any casualties. A witness, Sherif Abu Aisha, said people started running when they saw a light that they thought was from aid trucks, but as they got close, they realized it was Israel's tanks. That's when the army started firing, he told The Associated Press. He said his uncle was among those killed. "We went because there is no food ... and nothing was distributed," he said. Elsewhere, those killed in strikes included four people in an apartment building in Gaza City, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. Another Israeli strike killed at least eight people, including four children, in the crowded tent camp of Muwasi in the city of Khan Younis in the south, according to the Nasser hospital, which received the bodies. Also in Khan Younis, Israeli forces opened fire and killed at least nine people trying to get aid entering Gaza through the Morag corridor, according to the hospital's morgue records. There was no immediate comment from Israel's military. The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the U.S and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday, throwing the future of the talks into further uncertainty. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering "alternative options" to ceasefire talks with Hamas. His comments came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the United States, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when. For desperate Palestinians, a ceasefire can't come soon enough. The United Nations and experts say that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. While Israel's army says it's allowing aid into the enclave with no limit on the number of trucks that can enter, the U.N. says it is hampered by Israeli military restrictions on its movements and incidents of criminal looting. The Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 79 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the same crossing. Israel's military said at the time its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat, and that it was aware of some casualties. Israel is facing increased international pressure to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food For the first time in months, Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in a newspaper article on Saturday that the U.K. was "working urgently" with Jordan to get British aid into Gaza. Aid group the World Central Kitchen said on Friday that it was resuming limited cooking operations in Deir al-Balah after being forced to halt due to a lack of food supplies. It said it's trying to serve 60,000 meals daily through its field kitchen and partner community kitchens, less than half of what it's cooked over the previous month.
