Israel Military: Hamas releases first hostages from Gaza
As part of a ceasefire agreement, the first three hostages in the Gaza Strip have been handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross, according to Israeli military sources. They are the civilians Romi Gonen (24), Emily Damari (28) and Doron Steinbrecher (31). TV footage showed how the three women were surrounded by a large crowd in a vehicle in Gaza. Armed Hamas members accompanied the women and pushed the people back. The hostages got out of the vehicle.
19.01.2025, 16:29
19.01.2025, 16:30
SDA
Terrorists abducted the women during the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023 and have been holding them in the Gaza Strip ever since. Around 90 Palestinian prisoners - mainly women and minors - are to be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for the three women.
Romi Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival near the border with the Gaza Strip and injured in the process. The 24-year-old's father told the news site ynet before her release that the family had waited more than 11,000 hours for this moment.
The two other women were kidnapped from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza as hostages. Emily Damari has both Israeli and British citizenship. Doron Steinbrecher also has Romanian citizenship.
Hostages are to be taken to hospital - and meet families there
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is to hand them over to a special unit of the Israeli army. From there, the women are to be taken to an army facility in Israel near the Gaza border for an initial examination and to meet their mothers there. They will then be transferred by helicopter to a clinic near Tel Aviv, where they will meet other relatives.
There are still 94 people being held in the Gaza Strip who have been abducted from Israel. In the next six weeks, the first phase of the deal, 30 more hostages are to be released. Another four abductees are to be released within a week. In return, it was agreed that Israel would release 1,904 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for the total of 33 hostages.
Further steps planned
Earlier in the day, a temporary ceasefire came into force in the Gaza war. Hamas and Israel want to negotiate further steps in the coming weeks. The aim is the complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza and the release of the last hostages. If no agreement is reached, the fighting could continue.
The Gaza war broke out after Hamas and other terrorist groups attacked Israel in October 2023, leaving around 1,200 people dead. Large parts of the Palestinian-inhabited Gaza Strip lie in ruins. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 46,900 people were killed. It does not say how many of them are civilians and how many are fighters.
ICRC: People will need help for a long time to come
The ICRC called for the current political momentum to be continued. The agreement is an important step, but it is not enough, said ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric recently. "The immense humanitarian needs must be met and that will take months, if not years." In any case, the organization is prepared for an expansion of humanitarian aid, according to Spoljaric.
Hamas released 105 hostages as part of a ceasefire at the end of November 2023. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from prisons at the time.
