Three Israeli hostages, Emily Damari, Romi Goren, and Doron Steinbrecher, were freed in the first phase of a cease-fire deal with Hamas and returned to Israel on Sunday. The women, who were kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks, were reunited with their families after spending over 15 months in captivity.
According to Hebrew-language media, the women were given paper “gift bags” with the terror organization’s logo, which contained a map of Gaza, photos of the women from their time in captivity, and certificates reading “release decision”. A representative for Goren’s family said her bag also contained a necklace.
The release of the three women was part of a deal in which Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages. The deal also involves Hamas gradually releasing 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza over the next six weeks in exchange for Israel releasing nearly 2,000 prisoners and detainees from the West Bank and Gaza.
The family of Doron Steinbrecher welcomed her back to freedom in an emotional reunion in Israel, while Emily Damari’s mother, Mandy, said her daughter was “the happiest girl in the world” and thanked the world for giving a glimpse of her “feisty and charismatic personality”.
A Hamas official confirmed that four of the seven remaining Israeli female hostages will be released on Saturday, January 25. The deal has been met with celebrations in the West Bank, where crowds of Palestinians cheered and waved Hamas flags.
In related news, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) leadership announced a shakeup, with Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, handing in his resignation and requesting to leave his role later this year. Halevi took responsibility for the IDF’s failure on October 7 and expressed his desire to complete the IDF’s inquiries into the events of that day.
