As part of the current cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israel has agreed to release 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages. On Sunday, the first three hostages were handed over to the Red Cross and they are home in Israel. Their families were able to watch live as they were released.
Families of released hostages watch as they join IDF soldiers https://t.co/vKBjZzU8FN pic.twitter.com/uWQCMCc327
— New York Post (@nypost) January 19, 2025
All three of the young women are said to be in decent health and have been reunited with their mothers, who were waiting with members of the Israel Defense Forces.
Mothers of the three freed hostages watch as their daughters return to Israel https://t.co/YoGunxxAlH pic.twitter.com/8ZA5PRsRti
— New York Post (@nypost) January 19, 2025
🔴 Released hostages Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher seen reunited with their mothers in Israel
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) January 19, 2025
📸 Credit: GPO pic.twitter.com/C2kO4hS8H2
I can only imagine what an emotional reunion that was. And as I've watched the news, I've been thinking a lot about who these three women are this morning. After over a year of being subjected to what has been described as incredibly inhumane treatment, I wanted to re-humanize them in whatever way I could. So, with that in mind, let's put a face and a story to each name.
Related: Gruesome Details Emerge About the Horrific Conditions Faced by Hostages in Gaza
Emily Damari
One of our own Emily Damari is coming home today!! 🎗️ pic.twitter.com/wM2JjLUWSe
— WeAreTottenhamTV (@WeRTottenhamTV) January 19, 2025
The youngest of four children, 28-year-old British-Israeli national Emily Damari was shot in the hand and kidnapped from her home in Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023 before being driven away to Gaza in her own car. She also watched on as her dog was shot and killed. According to the BBC, her mother, Mandy Damari, hid in a room with the door closed, and a stray bullet hit the door handle, preventing anyone from getting inside. Emily texted her mom a single heart emoji as Hamas terrorists hauled her away.
Mandy recently filmed a video thanking President Donald Trump for making the deal happen:
Hostage Emily Damari’s mother thanked Trump for getting the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal done.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 19, 2025
Hamas just released Emily as part of the deal after 471 days in captivity.
.@realDonaldTrump made this mother’s dream come true. pic.twitter.com/A5wTDztiFZ
Emily, whom her mother calls the "core of our family," often spends time in the United Kingdom visiting family, attending soccer matches, shopping, going to concerts, and visiting pubs. She's a huge fan of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and her family said when she is home, she is always hosting friends, whether for simple tea or a big barbecue. Before she was kidnapped, she was planning trips to visit the United States and Japan.
Upon her release, she could be seen with a bandage on the hand that was shot, and it appeared that she was missing two fingers.
The kidnapped Emily Damari who was released from captivity today in a first conversation with her family. pic.twitter.com/RyKASwQyIu
— Eli Afriat 🇮🇱🎗 (@EliAfriatISR) January 19, 2025
Romi Gonen
Romi Gonen, 24. A choreographer who attended the Nova party on 10/7. She hid in the bushes for hours until a stranger finally picked her up in his car, and that’s when the terrorists ambushed them. Romi was shot in the arm and taken. This is her last conversation with her mom.… pic.twitter.com/5t6P5ggWvR
— Yael Bar tur 🎗️ (@yaelbt) May 28, 2024
Twenty-four-year-old Romi Gonen was attending the Nova Music Festival, the site where an attack by Hamas left approximately 364 people murdered. Gonen's mother, Meirav, said she called her from the festival, and she could hear gunshots and shouting in Arabic in the background. "Mommy, I was shot…I was shot, I’m wounded, I’m bleeding Mommy," she said as she hid in the bushes, shot in the arm. Another festival attendee tried to rescue her, but they were blocked by Hamas.
Fortunately, she and her mother are now reunited:
Romi Gonen held in her mother’s arms. My heart could burst. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ROI7e7iZUs
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) January 19, 2025
Romi is passionate about dance and music, and has been a dancer for over 12 years. She currently works as a choreographer.
Doron Steinbrecher
Statement from the family of Doron Steinbrecher*
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) January 19, 2025
After an unbearable 471 days, our beloved Dodo has finally returned to our arms. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and accompanied us along this journey. A special thank you to the people of… pic.twitter.com/5Mr7CrrjBH
Thirty-one-year-old Doron Steinbrecher was kidnapped from her home in Kfar Aza. The BBC reports that her community "was heavily targeted by armed militants" who "burned homes and killed civilians, including whole families, as well as taking hostages" during the October 7, 2023 attacks. Steinbrecher hid under her bed, but in a final voicemail to friends and family, she could be heard screaming "they've taken me."
Doron Steinbecher, 31, has been held hostage in Gaza for 464 days.
— Ella Travels (Ella Kenan) (@EllaTravelsLove) January 12, 2025
Doron needs access to medication that the Red Cross refused to take from her family, who begged them to deliver it.
Doron is being held by Hamas-ISIS, Islamist monsters, a death cult whose goal is destruction.… pic.twitter.com/JxsHAdoA0H
Her sister called her "my sunshine," and friends have described her as "sensitive and funny, always smiling, and the first to offer help." She studied theater and film in school, but her passion for animals led to her career as a veterinary nurse.
Former hostage Doron Steinbrecher meets her mother after 471 days in Hamas captivity. pic.twitter.com/Y8GOwH8xmi
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 19, 2025
Former hostage 9-year-old Ella Eliakim writes on the hostage posters of Doron Steinbrecher: “Returned home” pic.twitter.com/6do5KaRakL
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) January 19, 2025
It is a beautiful sight to see these young women free, returned home, and once again able to see and talk to their families and friends. Let's hope and pray the remaining surviving hostages receive the same treatment.
Noa Argamani speaking in DC today: "I know what it's like to wait for release and find out that it's not my turn yet. As long as Avinatan is there, my heart is also there.”
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) January 19, 2025
94 hostages are still waiting for their turn. We must bring them all home now. pic.twitter.com/xmnsgFQbB4
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