On Sunday, Palestinian militant group Hamas released three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The hostages, all women, were handed over in Gaza City after spending 471 days in captivity.
The hostages were officially transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross before being returned to Israel. The event was met with an outpouring of emotion in Israel, where a giant screen outside Tel Aviv’s defense headquarters displayed the three women being escorted by armed Hamas fighters, as thousands of Israelis celebrated.
The three women, Romi Gonen, 24, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, and Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, both taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, were later transferred to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The IDF confirmed they would undergo initial medical examinations and be accompanied by special forces and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) on their return to Israeli territory.
In the West Bank, preparations were underway for the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. Hamas confirmed that the first group to be freed includes 69 women and 21 teenage boys.
This release marks the first phase of a ceasefire in the ongoing 15-month-long conflict between Israel and Hamas, which followed a three-hour delay during Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments of Gaza.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack led to the kidnapping of over 250 people, and while many hostages have been freed or their bodies returned, nearly 100 individuals remained in Gaza.
