Finally reunited: Avichai Brodutch can hug his wife and three children once again

While Avichai fought terrorists, his family was kidnapped from their home

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After 51 excruciating days, the Brodutch family was finally reunited on Sunday, as the father Avichai finally welcomed his wife Hagar and their three children Ofri (10), Yuval (8), and Oriya (4) brought back from captivity in Gaza.

Photos and videos showed the released hostages to be in reasonably good health. On Monday, a video showed the children excitedly meeting their dog Rodney for the first time since they returned to Israel.

The four were part of the hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas terrorists who kidnapped them from their home in Kfar Aza on Oct. 7, which Israelis now refer to as the 'Black Shabbat.'

Avichai had joined the fight against terrorists that morning but came back to find his home empty and his family gone.

Soon after, Avichai became one of the leaders of the protest movement of the hostages’ families and established a 'sit-in' near the IDF’s Tel Aviv headquarters in a place that has since become known as Hostage Square.

Avichai worked tirelessly to gather support via media interviews, meetings with rabbis and ambassadors, and leading the march to demand the release of the hostages from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

He was also the first representative of the hostages’ families to meet with a government representative in Qatar, whose mediation eventually led to the deal that freed his family.

Now, Avichai and his whole family can breathe freely again, with Hagar and her children back and safe in Israel.

Avichai’s father Shmuel had told National Public Radio he is looking forward to spoiling his grandchildren.

“When they be released from the hospital, I’m going to take them for a shopping day, and they will buy – and I’ll buy them all the world – all it [sic],” he said.

On Monday afternoon, the director of the hospital where the Brodutch family was taken after their release said that the overall physical health of the latest group of freed hostages was good and that they would be released soon.