Three Women Hostages Back in Israel after 471 Days in Hamas Captivity

Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher. (Courtesy) (Courtesy)

Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen and Emily Damari are being taken to Ramat Gan for a medical evaluation.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Three kidnapped Israeli women, Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen and Emily Damari are back in Israel after 471 days in captivity, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Sunday evening.

The three are being taken to Ramat Gan for a medical evaluation.

The IDF Spokesperson asks the public to show responsibility and sensitivity and respect the privacy of the returnees and their families.

Steinbrecher, 31, Gonen, 24, and Damari, a 28-year-old Israeli-UK national, were the first hostages freed in a phased deal. In exchange, Israel is releasing 90 imprisoned Arab terrorists. Of the 90, 78 will return to their homes in Judea and Samaria and the remaining 12 will be released to eastern Jerusalem. None have been convicted of murder. They will be transported to release points from the Ofer Prison to release points in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem.

Steinbrecher, a veterinary nurse, was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She takes medicine daily for a chronic condition. In her last sign of life, Steinbrecher was seen in a Hamas propaganda video released in January 2024.

Gonen, a waitress from Tel Aviv, was abducted from the Nova Music Festival after three people in a car with her were murdered. Gonen’s last words in a desperate phone call to her mother were, “They shot me, Mom and I’m bleeding. Everyone in the car is bleeding.” One of the hostages freed during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023 told Gonen’s family that Romi was alive but in bad health.

Damari was abducted from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza’s youth neighborhood and was shot in the hand. Emily’s mother, Mandy, had campaigned tirelessly in both Israel and Britain on behalf of her daughter and the other hostages.

The ceasefire went into effect on Sunday morning at 11:15 AM after Israel confirmed receiving an hours-overdue list of the hostages to be returned. Hours later, Hamas listed the names of three women on its Telegram channel. The families initially asked journalists to respect their privacy and not prematurely report the names of the three, but by mid-day, they lifted their objections.

Less than one hour before the ceasefire was originally supposed to begin, the IDF announced it had recovered the body of Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, whose body was held in Gaza since 2014.

The first phase of the ceasefire will see 33 Israeli hostages freed over several weeks in exchange for hundreds of Arab terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many of the 33 hostages are alive. Meanwhile, Israel’s High Court of Justice rejected a legal petition against the release of the Palestinians on Sunday morning.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 92 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.