Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher. These are the names of the first three hostages released by Hamas on Sunday after a ceasefire agreement with Israel nearly collapsed after Hamas failed to submit the list as agreed.
The three female hostages are the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks as part of a 42-day agreement in which Israel will release more than 1,900 terrorist prisoners, including several who have killed Israeli civilians. I am alone.
It is unknown whether the three are alive or dead, but it is presumed that they are alive as the agreement states that priority will be given to surviving hostages. They spent 471 days in captivity after the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack.
Gonen, 24 years old, kidnapped A terrified mother listened on the phone after she was shot in the arm while trying to drive away at the Nova Music Festival. Damali, 28, has dual British and Israeli nationality. kidnapped She was also shot dead and injured by shrapnel from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Azha. Steinbrecher, 31, also said: kidnapped Originally from Kfar Azha.
Details of his release, including when he was released and his condition, are unknown.
In a statement after the ceasefire took effect at 11:15 a.m. local time, nearly three hours later than agreed, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Helj Halevi said:[W]Had Hamas not been in such a difficult situation, we would not have been able to reach an agreement on these terms…This is our strength now. ”
Sixty-five hostages will remain in Gaza after “phase one” of the six-week deal ends. It is unknown how many of these hostages are still alive, but so far it is estimated that several have survived their captivity.
Separately on Saturday, the IDF recovered the body of one of the deceased hostages, Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul was killed in fighting in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, a war started by Hamas in 2014 that ended in a tense ceasefire.
President-elect Donald Trump welcomed news of the hostage trade on the eve of his inauguration, saying, “The hostages are starting to come out today! Three wonderful young women will be the first,” he said. I wrote Truth Social on Sunday mornings.
Israeli government spokesman David Mensah said Hamas's evasive strategy of first releasing the names of the hostages and then the hostages themselves was in keeping with its behavior as a jihadist organization. “We know exactly who we are dealing with,” he told reporters.
He said both President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump agree that Israel could attack Hamas if a deal fails, and that the ceasefire is temporary. Ta.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
