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Three hostages were released in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
The hostages, all women, were released from a Red Cross prison in Gaza on Sunday and transferred to the Israeli army, which took them to meet their mothers, the Israeli military said.
About 100 hostages, dead or alive, are believed to be still being held in Gaza, most of them captured in a deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Thirty-three of them will be released during the first six. week of ceasefire, including military women and civilians, children, men over 50 and the sick and wounded, according to the agreement.
“Most” of the 33 hostages freed in the first phase of the six-week ceasefire are alive, said Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, on Sunday in a discussion on social media.
A video released by the Israeli army shows the three hostages being reunited with their families at Israel’s Sheba Hospital.
In one clip, one of the returned hostages, Romi Gonen, is surrounded by family members as they tearfully comfort each other. Yarden Gonen, his sister, who traveled the world last year to appeal for Romi’s release, jumped into the video as the family hugged. In another clip, another freed hostage, Doron Steinbrecher, tearfully hugs loved ones.
Romi Gonen
Ms. Gonen was 23 when she was arrested while trying to leave the Nova music festival in southern Israel when Hamas attacked. At the time, he spoke to his mother, Meirav Gonen, who said he had been shot and was bleeding.
Last February, Meirav Gonen released a video of his last phone call with his daughter. He told Israeli media that Romi was a strong, happy person who often went to raves.
In the first week of the war, his mother expressed concern that Israeli military operations in Gaza could endanger the hostages.
Romi Gonen’s older brother, Yarden, told The New York Times in February that he regularly went to a stadium in Tel Aviv where the hostage’s family was performing.
“None of us do anything related to our past lives,” he said.
Emily Damari
Ms Damari, 27 at the time of her capture, is the only British hostage still held this month. He was taken to his home in Kibbutz Kfar Azza in southern Israel and found by neighbors in his car, driven by a militant, to Gaza.
Ms. Damari was raised in Israel but travels to Britain frequently, according to her mother, British-born Mandy Damari, who was in Israel last month to speak to authorities and the media and to plead for for hostages and truce. He said his daughter had been shot and that he feared for her life, telling the BBC that he had taken seriously threats from President-elect Donald J. Trump that “all hell would break loose” if he did not make a deal. consecration.
Last January, a hostage freed from Gaza, Dafna Elyakim, told Israeli media that she and her younger sister were taken to Hamas underground tunnels. , where he met the other female hostages, including Mrs. Damari.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks, Mandy Damari spoke at an event in London’s Hyde Park, where she described her daughter as a football fan who enjoyed a drink and had “ classic English sense of humor, with a touch of cynicism. chutzpa israeli a wedge thrown in a dose.
On Sunday, Mandy Damari thanked “everyone who has continued to fight for Emily during this terrible ordeal.” But, he said in a statement, “for many other families, the impossible wait continues.”
The Israeli military also released a photo of Emily Damari and her mother showing two missing fingers on her left hand. Ms. Damari was shot in the hand on October 7, 2023.
Doron Steinbrecher
Mrs. Steinbrecher, who was 30 when she was arrested in her home in Kibbutz Kfar Azza, is a veterinarian with Romanian and Israeli citizenship. According to Israeli media, he was in contact with his family on the kibbutz when the militants attacked, telling his parents that they had broken their window and shot them in their room.
“They’re here, they’ve got me,” he said in a text message to a friend.
Last January, Hamas released a video of Ms. Steinbrecher and two other prisoners, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev, pleading for their release.
Last March, at the age of 31, the Jewish News Syndicate published an interview with her mother, Simona Steinbrecher, who described her as pale and thin in the video. He said he was concerned that Ms. Steinbrecher was not getting the medication she needed every day, although she did not specify what it was.
“She’s a strong woman, but it’s horrible to be there,” said Simona Steinbrecher.
On Sunday, Doron Steinbrecher’s family released a statement celebrating his release that thanked the Israeli people and expressed gratitude to Mr. Trump “for his great contribution and support, which is very important to us.” The statement did not mention President Biden or Israeli leaders.
