 "Released British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher arrive at Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan, Israel, after being held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas. Reuters")
After 471 days of fighting, three women who had been taken hostage by Hamas were released to Israel on Sunday under the ceasefire deal, reuniting with their families in scenes that could only be described as touching.
After being dragged away by Hamas operatives on October 7, 2023, the three hostages emerged into the light on Sunday. Masked Hamas gunmen handed the three women to the Red Cross at Saraya Square in central Gaza City where a large crowd of people had gathered. Initially, looking thin and frightened, the hostages disembarked from a Hamas military vehicle, surrounded by armed men struggling to hold back the crowd, and quickly boarded the Red Cross SUVs.
Around 30 minutes later, the three women were transferred to Israel to a complex set up by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) near the Gaza border at Re’im Base, where they met their mothers for the first time in over 15 months.
But who are these three women and what are their stories?
Romi Gonen, 24
The youngest of the three released on Sunday, Romi Gonen was among the many who had been taken captive by Hamas from the Nova festival , which took place in the Negev Desert in the south, on October 7, 2023.
A resident of Kfar Vradim in northern Israel, Gonen had gone to the festival, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, “to do what she loved, to dance” — something she had studied for 12 years, starring in solo performances and becoming an “amazing choreographer”.
In fact, the forum describes Gonen as “the girl with the biggest smile, the brightest light, the greatest friend”.
On October 7, when she went to the festival and Hamas struck it, she made a frantic call to her family in which she was quoted as saying, “I am going to die, today.”
As Ronen was freed, a video showed her father Eitan Gonen jumping in the air, before breaking down in tears.
Her cousin from Canada, Maureen Leshem, later in a statement said: “Today, my heart is filled with immense gratitude and relief that my 24-year-old cousin, Romi Gonen, has finally been freed from Hamas captivity and reunited with her family in Israel.
“We know that the Romi who is returning to us is not the same vibrant, joyful young woman who was stolen from us on October 7. We will need to get to know a new version of Romi, and that breaks my heart. She has been subjected to incomprehensible cruelty and trauma at the hands of Hamas — more than we can possibly fathom — but we are ready for what lies ahead. This moment is not an end — it is a beginning.”
Emily Damari, 28
Along with Romi, British-Israeli Emily Damari was also released by Hamas under the ceasefire deal. Damari, who was born in Israel had moved to England later. However, she later moved to the Kibbutz Kfar Aza from where she was captured by Hamas operatives on October 7, 2023.
She was shot in the hand and taken into Gaza from her home during the attack, and also saw her dog, Choocha shot and killed. Her mother, Mandy, was also at the home when the attack took place. However, she was able to hide in the safe room and escape Hamas. According to BBC, as the attack progressed, Emily sent her mother a text message containing a single heart emoji — that was the last contact they had.
Mandy, who has been campaigning for her daughter’s release since then described Emily as “a consummate daughter, sister, and friend”. Emily was also a lover of the English football club, Tottenham Hotspur and of singers such as Ed Sheeran and Adele.
As Emily reunited with her family on Sunday, she was seen with her left hand being bandaged — she lost her two fingers when Hamas militants shot at her during the attack. It was scenes of tears and laughs as she hugged and embraced her family on her release.
Her mother, in a statement, said: “I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name. In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also commented on Damari’s release, describing it as “wonderful and long-overdue news.”
Doron Steinbrecher, 31
A 31-year-old Romanian-Israeli veterinary nurse, Doron made up the last of the three who were released by Hamas on Sunday. Like Emily Damari, Doron, too, was taken hostage from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023.
Doron’s mother said that she was hiding under her bed when terrorists invaded her apartment. Hiding under her bed, Doron found the time to send a final voice note to her loved ones: “They’ve got me, they’ve got me.”
Doron’s family received no information about her whereabouts for nearly four months. Her mother, Simona Steinbrecher, later said: “My life stopped on the 7th of October. I know she is alone there and I cannot help her.”
On reuniting with Doron, the Steinbrecher family said, “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.”
Other hostages to be released
While Romi, Emily and Doron are the first hostages to be released under the ceasefire deal signed between Israel and Hamas, the agreement calls for the release of 30 other captives . Most of them are believed to be alive, as per Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Of the 30 to be released, two — Hisham al-Sayed, 35, and Avera Mengistu, 27 — were taken captive before the October 7, 2023 attack.
With inputs from agencies