The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) releases for the first time photos of three female hostages, Romi Gonen, 24, who were freed on Sunday as part of a hostage deal with Hamas; did. Emily Damari, 38 years old. And Doron Steinbrecher, 31, returned to Israel.
They were finally released after 471 days in captivity. All were abducted in a Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
The three were paraded in front of a jeering crowd wearing Hamas green headbands and black uniforms before being handed over to the International Red Cross. This is similar to the release of hostages during an eight-day ceasefire in 2023.
They were then flown to Israel and taken to Sheba Medical Center by Air Force helicopter. There they were reunited with their mother, who was chosen by medical professionals to be the first relative to greet them.
The three are the first of 33 hostages to be freed in six weeks, most of whom are presumed alive, with priority given to women and civilian hostages. In return, Israel plans to release more than 1,900 Palestinian terrorists and withdraw from some positions in the Gaza Strip, while bringing humanitarian aid to the Strip.
The deal nearly collapsed after Hamas did not provide the names of the hostages to be released as agreed. It happened, albeit belatedly.
It is believed that about 60 hostages remain, many of them still alive. They will only be released in the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. Israel has said it reserves the right to resume war at any time.
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.
