As emotions run high, hostages Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari were handed over to Red Cross teams a short while ago (Sunday) on their way to the designated IDF and Shin Bet rendezvous point within the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF Spokesperson. The survivors of captivity are expected to be airlifted by helicopter to Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer for medical treatment.
Romi Gonen, 24, was abducted from the Nova Festival site in Re’im. Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was kidnapped from her apartment in the young adults’ neighborhood. Emily Tehila Damari, 27, also from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was taken from her home there.
Footage of the Helicopter for the Transfer of the Hostages:
Four additional hostages are expected to be released in seven days. Families will be informed of the names of the released 24 hours prior to their release.
The hostage headquarters stated: “After 471 agonizing days in captivity, Emily, Doron, and Romi are returning home—to their families who tirelessly worked for their release, to friends who prayed for their safety, and to an entire nation that believed this day would come. Their return today symbolizes a moment of light within the darkness, a moment of hope and triumph of the human spirit. For the families and for all of us, this is a moment that will never be forgotten. Their return reminds us of the heavy responsibility to continue striving for the release of everyone until the last hostage is brought home.”
The First Phase to Last 42 Days
Following the release of these hostages, 90 prisoners will be freed from Israeli prisons. In this initial phase, lasting 42 days, 33 hostages categorized as “humanitarian” will be released: women, including the female IDF scouts kidnapped from the Nahal Oz outpost, children, elderly men over 50, non-military sick and wounded individuals, as well as Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have been held in Gaza for over a decade.
The IDF has established three reception points in Re’im, Kerem Shalom, and Erez. At these points, freed hostages will undergo initial medical examinations and receive psychological first aid from mental health teams as part of the “Kanfei Dror” (Wings of Freedom) release operation. The hostages will then be transferred to Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer, while other hospitals have also prepared to receive them if necessary.
