Recently released Israeli captive Agam Berger joined settlers in an overnight raid of Joseph’s Tomb in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
Berger, a surveillance officer in the Israeli army, had worked at Israel’s Nahal Oz base for two days when she was taken captive by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attack.
She was released on 30 January as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, after 482 days in Gaza.
“I want to say thank you to you, the soldiers. Take care of yourselves, you are truly heroes,” the 20-year-old said during the Sunday night visit to the tomb, which is a contested site subject to regular incursions by Israeli settlers.
Berger was accompanied by her mother Meirav, Elyakim Levanon, a prominent settler rabbi, and Yossi Dagan, the far-right head of settler organisation the Shomron Regional Council.
The group was escorted by a force made up of Israeli army, border police and police personnel.
At Joseph’s Tomb, Berger lit a candle and was presented with a certificate by Dagan that included the first words the captive said following her release: “I chose the path of faith.”
“May God bring salvation through the IDF [Israeli army], the Israeli government, and the entire nation of Israel, and bring all the hostages home with a great victory,” Dagan said.
Berger’s mother, Meirav, said she had tried to go to the tomb twice since 7 October, but had not managed to.
Settler incursions at Joseph’s Tomb
Palestinians and Israelis lay claim to counter-narratives about the religious and national significance of Joseph’s Tomb. Palestinians believe it is the burial site of a cleric who lived in the nearby Balata neighbourhood in the early 1900s.
Israelis say the shrine contains the tomb of the Prophet Joseph, a figure revered in both Islamic and Jewish traditions.
The tomb is located inside Area A of the West Bank, which is officially under the complete control of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
But the Israeli military regularly and brutally enters the area, despite Palestinian opposition.
Before Israel’s war on Gaza, busloads of settlers would visit Joseph’s Tomb accompanied by the military on a monthly basis. These settler incursions have resulted in the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces.
Dagan, who accompanied Berger on their incursion, has previously called for the ethnic cleansing and resettlement of Gaza.
In January 2024, speaking at a Gaza resettlement conference, he attributed the 7 October attacks to the failings of the Oslo Accord. “Oslo is dead, the people of Israel live,” he declared, to cheers.
When she was released, Berger told Israel’s Kan Bet radio station that during her time in captivity, it had been hard for her and her fellow women captives to hear about Israeli opposition to a hostage deal.
