Amid chaos, Hamas hands over first three hostages to Israel

2025-01-19 17:33:41Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Amid chaos, Hamas hands over first three hostages to Israel
Scene from the hostage handover

The first three Israeli hostages - amidst the chaos - were handed over first to the Red Cross, and then to the Israeli authorities, thus returning to their homeland after more than a year under Hamas captivity.

The surrender has also been confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces, where the three citizens, Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen, and Emily Damari, have been taken into custody by the IDF and Shin Bet.

They are a 30-year-old veterinary nurse, a 24-year-old former scout kidnapped at the Nova Festival, and a 28-year-old girl who also has British citizenship.

Amid chaos, Hamas hands over first three hostages to Israel

Steinbrecher lived in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Before she was kidnapped, she recorded a voice message and sent it to a group of friends: “They’re coming, they’re taking me.” For a week it was unclear whether she had been killed or taken hostage.

Gonen is one of the girls taken from the Supernova Festival. She also stayed in touch with her mother until the end. He was fleeing Hamas and would text her on his cell phone: "Mom, they shot me. Everyone is bleeding."

Chaos, however, was not absent, with hundreds of Palestinians trying to block the hostages' journey to Israel, but with the intervention of Hamas exponents, the bloodshed calmed down and they were allowed to pass.

On the other hand, Hamas says it is still waiting for Israel to send a list of Palestinian prisoners - including women and children - that it is considering releasing today as part of its ceasefire and hostage exchange.

In a nutshell, Hamas says the ceasefire stipulates that for every Israeli hostage released, 30 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails – and that 90 must be released afterwards.


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