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    Sunday, January 19

    Who Are the Three Hostages Released by Hamas?

    Updated: US News No Comments

    As part of the current cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, Israel has agreed to release 90 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages. On Sunday, the first three hostages were handed over to the Red Cross and they are home in Israel. Their families were able to watch live as they were released. 

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    All three of the young women are said to be in decent health and have been reunited with their mothers, who were waiting with members of the Israel Defense Forces. 

    I can only imagine what an emotional reunion that was. And as I’ve watched the news, I’ve been thinking a lot about who these three women are this morning. After over a year of being subjected to what has been described as incredibly inhumane treatment, I wanted to re-humanize them in whatever way I could. So, with that in mind, let’s put a face and a story to each name.   

    Related: Gruesome Details Emerge About the Horrific Conditions Faced by Hostages in Gaza

    Emily Damari

    The youngest of four children, 28-year-old British-Israeli national Emily Damari was shot in the hand and kidnapped from her home in Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023 before being driven away to Gaza in her own car. She also watched on as her dog was shot and killed. According to the BBC, her mother, Mandy Damari, hid in a room with the door closed, and a stray bullet hit the door handle, preventing anyone from getting inside. Emily texted her mom a single heart emoji as Hamas terrorists hauled her away. 

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    Mandy recently filmed a video thanking President Donald Trump for making the deal happen: 

    Emily, whom her mother calls the “core of our family,” often spends time in the United Kingdom visiting family, attending soccer matches, shopping, going to concerts, and visiting pubs. She’s a huge fan of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and her family said when she is home, she is always hosting friends, whether for simple tea or a big barbecue. Before she was kidnapped, she was planning trips to visit the United States and Japan. 

    Upon her release, she could be seen with a bandage on the hand that was shot, and it appeared that she was missing two fingers. 

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    Romi Gonen

    Twenty-four-year-old Romi Gonen was attending the Nova Music Festival, the site where an attack by Hamas left approximately 364 people murdered. Gonen’s mother, Meirav, said she called her from the festival, and she could hear gunshots and shouting in Arabic in the background. “Mommy, I was shot…I was shot, I’m wounded, I’m bleeding Mommy,” she said  as she hid in the bushes, shot in the arm. Another festival attendee tried to rescue her, but they were blocked by Hamas.   

    Fortunately, she and her mother are now reunited: 

    Romi is passionate about dance and music, and has been a dancer for over 12 years. She currently works as a choreographer.  

    Doron Steinbrecher

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    Thirty-one-year-old Doron Steinbrecher was kidnapped from her home in Kfar Aza. The BBC reports that her community “was heavily targeted by armed militants” who “burned homes and killed civilians, including whole families, as well as taking hostages” during the October 7, 2023 attacks. Steinbrecher hid under her bed, but in a final voicemail to friends and family, she could be heard screaming “they’ve taken me.” 

    Her sister called her “my sunshine,” and friends have described her as “sensitive and funny, always smiling, and the first to offer help.” She studied theater and film in school, but her passion for animals led to her career as a veterinary nurse. 

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    It is a beautiful sight to see these young women free, returned home, and once again able to see and talk to their families and friends. Let’s hope and pray the remaining surviving hostages receive the same treatment. 

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