The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the first photos of the three female hostages who were released Sunday as part of a hostage deal with Hamas — Romi Gonen, 24; Emily Damari, 38; and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 — and returned to Israel.
They were finally free, after 471 days in captivity. All were abducted in the Hamas terror attack of October 7, 2023.
The three were handed to the International Red Cross, after being paraded in front of a jeering crowd in green Hamas headbands and black uniforms — much like the hostage releases that took place during an eight-day truce in 2023.
Any honest observer should be able to look at the footage emerging from Gaza—featuring genocidal antisemitic chants, glorification of terrorism, the near-lynching of hostages, and a well-fed civilian population—and confront three fundamental truths:
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) January 19, 2025
1. Gaza is a profoundly sick… pic.twitter.com/Wdgw3m3AzW
They were then brought into Israel, where they were transported by Air Force helicopter to the Sheba Medical Center. There, they reunited with their mothers, chosen by medical professionals to be the first relatives to greet them.
The three are the first of 33 hostages to be released over the course of six weeks, most of whom are presumed to be living, with priority given to female and civilian hostages. In return, Israel will release over 1,900 Palestinian terrorists and withdraw from some positions in the Gaza Strip while surging humanitarian aid into the territory.
The deal almost collapsed when Hamas failed to provide the names of the hostages to be released, as it had agreed. It did so, belatedly.
There are thought to be about 60 remaining hostages, many of whom are still alive. They will only be released in a second phase of the ceasefire deal. Israel says it reserves the right to resume the war at any time.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
