Three Israelis Released After Being Held as Hostages

Hostage Release Confirmed

Hostage Release Confirmed

The Defense Forces of Israel have confirmed the release of three hostages. The Israeli government received information from the Red Cross confirming their transfer, and they are expected to be reunited with their families.

According to information received from the Red Cross, 3 Israeli hostages were transferred to the Red Cross and they are on their way toward IDF and ISA forces in Gaza.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 19, 2025

Hostage Profiles

Romi Gonen

Romi Gonen, 24, was born in northern Israel. She was one of the many people captured by Hamas fighters during the Supernova music festival, where they killed 364 people, on October 7, 2023. Gonen tried to flee the scene in a car but was taken by the fighters. Her car was later found empty, and her phone was discovered in Gaza.

Gonen, who is a talented dancer and choreographer, was injured in her hand during the attack. Other freed hostages informed her mother, Merav Leshem Gonen, of the injury.

Emily Damari

Emily Damari, 28, was born in Israel to a British mother and an Israeli father. She grew up in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel near the Gaza border. Damari was at home when Hamas fighters broke in and injured her hands and legs. Her dog, Choocha, was shot in the neck.

Damari’s mother, Mandy, waited anxiously for her daughter’s release. "They are waiting, waiting for full confirmation that Emily is out," the family’s lawyer, Adam Rose, said.

Doron Steinbrecher

Doron Steinbrecher, 31, was kidnapped in Kfar Aza. She left a message for her parents telling them she had been taken. Steinbrecher appeared in a video released by Hamas in January 2024, alongside two other hostages.

The veterinary nurse, who holds dual Israeli and Romanian nationality, was taken from her home. "My life stopped on October 7," her mother, Simona Steinbrecher, said in July. "I know she’s alone there and I can’t help her."