What we know about the three Israelis released on the first day of the ceasefire

Following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, three women became the first hostages to be released, reuniting with their families after 15 months in captivity. This marks the initial phase of a six-week preliminary ceasefire, which will see a total of 33 Israeli hostages released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Just hours after their release, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were also freed as part of the agreement. The three women were among approximately 250 hostages kidnapped during Hamas’s terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli authorities stated that the Hamas attack also resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 46,000 Palestinians.

The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Sunday, but the next round of prisoner and hostage exchanges is expected later this week. Here's what we know about the three hostages who have been released so far: 28-year-old Emily Damari, a dual British-Israeli national, is one of the three women released. Her mother, Mandy Damari, stated, “After 471 days, Emily is finally home.” Mandy has been tirelessly campaigning for her daughter’s release since she was kidnapped by Hamas militants in October 2023.

In a video released by the Israeli military, Emily is seen smiling and embracing her mother, with one of her hands bandaged. Her mother said, "I want to thank all the people who never stopped fighting for Emily, who never stopped calling her name during this terrible ordeal." She also added, "While Emily's nightmare in Gaza is over, the agonizing wait continues for too many other families." Emily was born in Israel, where her British mother moved in her 20s. Her father is Israeli. She is a fan of pop superstar Ed Sheeran and the Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur, whose fans have often chanted her name at matches since her capture.

Emily was at home when Hamas gunmen stormed her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel, and she was injured in the attack in her hands and feet. Her mother said her dog, Choocha, was shot and killed in the neck. A video released by the Israeli military shows the three hostages receiving “gift bags,” which included a certificate commemorating their time in captivity. Her mother tirelessly lobbied Israeli and UK leaders for her return home. Emily was the last British hostage held in the Gaza Strip. However, a number of other hostages have connections to the UK. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the release of Emily, along with the two other Israeli women, was “wonderful and long-awaited news after months of anguish for them and their families.” He said, “I wish them well as they begin their journey of recovery from an unbearable trauma.”

24-year-old Romi Gonen was kidnapped at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. On that morning, Romi’s mother, Merav, and her older daughter spent nearly five hours on the phone with her as militants rampaged through the festival grounds. Romi told her family that roads blocked by abandoned cars made escape impossible and that she would take shelter in some bushes. Then, she said words that have been echoing in her mother’s mind every day. “Mom, I was shot, the car was shot, everyone was shot… I’m hurt and bleeding. Mom, I think I’m going to die,” her mother recalled Romi saying at a press conference a few weeks after the kidnapping. For the past 15 months, Romi's mother has been one of the most outspoken voices advocating for the hostages' return, appearing on Israeli news programs almost daily and traveling abroad on missions.

In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis cheered and cried in a plaza outside the defense headquarters as live footage from Gaza showed the three women being escorted into a Red Cross vehicle surrounded by Hamas personnel. 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher was also released after 15 months in captivity. Doron's family said in a statement, "Our heroic Dodo, who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, begins her journey to recovery today." Doron is a veterinarian nurse who loves animals and was also a neighbor of Emily Damari in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Doron holds dual Israeli and Romanian citizenship.

Doron called her mother at 10:20 a.m. on October 7, 2023. “Mom, I’m scared. I’m hiding under the bed, and I hear them trying to get into my apartment,” her brother Dor recalled. She was able to send a voice message to her friend. “They got me! They got me! They got me!” This was the moment of her kidnapping. The message was crucial in helping her family understand that Doron had been abducted. Doron appeared in a video released by Hamas on January 26, 2024, alongside two Israeli female soldiers. Her brother said the video gave them hope that she was alive but also raised concerns as she looked tired, weak, and gaunt. A doctor at Sheba Hospital said that all three former hostages were in “stable” condition. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum movement called their return a “beacon of light,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they had “emerged from the darkness.”