Freed hostage Omer Wenkert: "I'm still me - but I am overwhelmed and struggling to process everything"

Four days ago, Omer Wenkert stepped out of the abyss—505 days in Hamas captivity—and into the arms of his family, a reunion that feels like a miracle too vast to grasp. In a nation scarred by October 7, 2023, where every freed hostage carries the weight of those left behind, Omer’s voice rises—a fragile, defiant hymn of what it means to reclaim life when darkness has stolen so much.

Here's what he posted:

"I still struggle to process it, I can't comprehend the privilege after 505 days in the darkest place - to finally meet the light, my family.

In the last 16 months, this envelope called family has taken on a different meaning in my heart that I cannot describe. An enormous and profound meaning.

Dad, Mom, Ran and Maya, I am so proud of you!

You are the real heroes.

You are my freedom fighters.

"I defeated captivity"

The first thing I said to my mother when I returned to her arms.

It's important for me to express gratitude even though I truly cannot describe it in words, and it's dearest to me to share in the infinite grief of all the bereaved families.

This past Saturday, after a seemingly endless struggle, I was privileged to receive my life and my freedom back as a gift, and now it's my time to join the fight for the return of my brothers who were left behind and for the return of all the hostages 🎗️

And here I am - I won't hide that everything is different, complex and confusing.

But I'm still me. Omer Wenkert. I hope we'll meet in the square soon.

we will dance again

And in these moments, it's important for me to also address the Bibas family.

I share in your grief from the depths of my heart in this indescribable mourning together with an entire country.

We will remember and commemorate and never forget for a moment!

My heart is with you forever ❤️🎗️"

Omer Wenkert’s return is miraculous, but it's shadowed by the unending night of those still captive and the eternal loss of families like the Bibases, whose orange balloons drift above fresh graves. His promise—to fight for his brothers still in chains, to dance again in the square—isn’t just a survivor’s pledge; it’s a call to a wounded nation to hold fast to hope, even as it mourns.

With his heart split between joy and sorrow, Omer stands as both a miracle and a mirror, reminding us that freedom’s sweetness is laced with the bitter taste of those we couldn’t save—and that the dance, when it comes, will echo with their names.