The family of Romi Gonen, the Israeli waitress who was shot and kidnapped on October 7, said Saturday’s shocking rescue of four hostages from Gaza was one of their “happiest days” in recent months, but added that it was “a difficult day… without Romi in our family.”
Romi Gonen, 23, was shot in the arm and abducted by Hamas terrorists at the Nova music festival as her mother, Meirav, 55, was trying to comfort her during a distressed phone call.
Romi’s sister, Yarden Gonen, 30, said she felt “very, very happy” and “extremely happy” for the hostages’ families who were rescued, but admitted she had “mixed” emotions because her sister is still held captive.
“We want to feel only joy and happiness and relief for our children, but we can’t,” she said. “I wish we could just be happy without feeling any other emotions.”
Romi’s mother, Meirav, said she was overjoyed to see on television images of the hostages being returned to their families, but was desperate to be reunited with her own family.
“We were jealous of them. I was jealous. Really jealous. Not the kind of jealousy I don’t want. [others to return home]I just want my daughter to be one of them, to join the four of them.”
“It’s been hard and difficult for me,” Meirab said. “I asked my youngest child, who is 17, how he felt, and he said, ‘I don’t want to talk about it.'”
Meirav described Romi as “one of the funniest girls I know” and said she was beloved by friends and customers at the upscale Tel Aviv restaurant where she worked as a waitress.
Yarden shared the story of a former customer who was so enchanted by her that when he found out it was the night before her birthday, he went to a nearby store to buy decorations and threw her a surprise party at midnight, even though he’d never met her before.
“We have heard so many stories like this since our daughter was abducted,” her grieving sister said.
“We call her the sunshine of our home,” Yarden said. “She puts her family above all else and would do anything for the people she loves. She does things from her heart.”
“We are very [much] I hope she can be with the others who are in captivity so she will have the strength to keep fighting and know that she needs to fight for others.”
Yalden and Meirav lamented that they have no information about Romi’s current condition and that not even the Red Cross has visited the hostage, but they remain convinced that she has survived.
“We know she’s alive. We feel her… We have a spiritual connection.”
In a recent interview on The Hills Rising, former co-host and former Bernie Sanders staffer Briana Joy Gray callously rolled her eyes as Yalden described her sister’s plight and pleaded with viewers to believe the female victim of the Oct. 7 attack.
Yarden said he requested an interview with Gray after learning that he had always denied a gang rape that took place during Hamas’ shocking invasion of Israel.
Yalden was infuriated after seeing graphic photos provided by Israeli emergency response organization Zaka of the October 7 attack.
The photos showed the bodies of women with their genitals severed, their pelvises broken, their pants down to their knees and their shirts pulled up to their chests, Yalden said. Yalden also spoke with several of Nova’s victims, who described rapes they witnessed.
Yarden didn’t see Gray roll her eyes during the interview, but he heard her sigh and thought she was saying, “Okay, okay, shut up.”
She said she was “deeply hurt but not surprised” by the eye-rolling of the since-fired Rising presenter.
“My point is, it’s pretty clear that if a woman says she’s been hurt, raped or sexually abused, we should believe her. Everyone in the world, especially women, should be encouraged to do that.”
Yarden said he wanted Gray to understand “the horrible feelings I have every day.” Gray did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
“The people who allowed that to happen on October 7th are the same demons that are holding my sister captive, and they have no choice but to do whatever they want to her every minute of every day, without her being able to turn to anyone for help.”
But Mr Gray appeared unfazed, and in fact annoyed, by the plight of the female victim on October 7th.
“I never imagined she would react to me that way. I didn’t mean to dismiss her over this interview, but I’m very happy to see that this TV show does not condone that kind of behavior from people.”
Yalden said he wanted Hamas to immediately accept a ceasefire and release the hostages, as further military action would endanger Israeli forces, the remaining hostages and civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“For a country as aggressive towards life as Israel, war is never the goal… The main goal is to bring back the hostages and restore safety.”
