On Oct. 7, 2023, female Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surveillance soldier Agam Berger was brutally kidnapped, along with six others, by Hamas terrorists from the Nahal Oz base near the Gaza border. Today, she and the braids she made for other hostages have become symbols of quiet strength and resilience.

Israel welcomed the release on Saturday of four female IDF observer hostages Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag and Naama Levy.

However, Israelis are still awaiting the release of the fifth female soldier, the “mysterious braider,” Berger who is expected to be released on Thursday. 

The former hostage Chen Goldstein-Almog raised the issue of these mysterious braids. 

"Perhaps somebody in Gaza, in an attempt to signal the world, was braiding the hair of those getting released," she said. The former hostage explained that Berger’s braids became a symbol of humanity and empowerment for women amid inhumane living conditions in Hamas captivity. 

“It suddenly became something very human, warm, and empowering for women, for that bit of humanity where you want to feel like a person again and feel… normal in the midst of something so abnormal,” Goldstein-Almog said. 

"Agam braided our hair before we left. It felt like she was giving us a piece of her strength to carry with us,” another former female hostage recalled. This description prompted the news outlet Israel Hayom to describe the braids as "a touching and silent farewell, a way of holding onto hope.”

“Now they can decide for themselves whether to get a haircut, keep braiding their hair, or let it flow freely. The main thing is that they choose,” said the hairstylist of the former hostage Romi Gonen. 

Read the full article at All Israel News.