‘He’s alright, he’s alright’: Relatives shout with joy to see Sagui Dekel-Chen

A video from a bit earlier shows the family of Sagui Dekel-Chen reacting joyously, screaming and clapping to seeing him for the first time after over 16 months in captivity.

משפחתו של שגיא דקל חן ברגעי שחרורו@NOFARMOS pic.twitter.com/odASNAMud5

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 15, 2025

“He’s alright, he’s alright, he’s alright,” one relative repeats, her hand to her chest.

The family opens champagne after it is reported that the three captivity survivors are in Israeli hands. They recite the traditional “Shehecheyanu” blessing of thanks and sing a Hebrew pop song with the lyrics: “God will always love me, and I will only be well.”

Dekel-Chen’s wife Avital is relieved that he looks relatively well, her sister Pazit tells Kan news. Avital Dekel-Chen was pregnant when her husband was kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Sagui Dekel-Chen has yet to meet his daughter, who is more than a year old.

Avital is quoted on Channel 12 saying, “I can breathe again.”

His sister-in-law Pazit, who is hosting Dekel-Chen’s family due to the destruction in Kibbutz Nir Oz, says he “looks okay,” but “we don’t really know what his condition is.”

“All that’s left is to hug him.”