After 471 days of captivity, Hamas is expected to release three Israeli hostages on Sunday as part of a ceasefire between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian militant group. As per the deal, more captives are expected to be freed in the coming weeks. The truce has brought both hope and concern among Israelis. Many fear the agreement could fall apart before all hostages return or that some may be in poor health. There is also worry that the number of Israeli death in captivity may be higher than expected.
Romi Gonen was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Her mother, Merav, and her eldest daughter spent nearly five hours talking to her as militants attacked the festival.
Romi told them that the roads were blocked with abandoned cars, making escape impossible. She said she would take shelter in some bushes.
Then, Romi’s words, still haunting her mother, echoed through the phone: “Mommy, I was shot, the car was shot, everybody was shot. … I am wounded and bleeding. Mommy, I think I’m going to die,” she said. Merav tried to reassure her daughter, urging her to stay calm, treat her wounded friends, and keep fighting.
But Romi’s last words were a desperate scream: “Mommy!” Then the phone cut off, and Israeli authorities later traced her phone’s signal to Gaza.
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023. The kibbutz, a communal farming village near Gaza, was hit hard. Damari lived in a small apartment in a neighborhood for young adults, the closest part of the kibbutz to the border.
Militants broke through the fence and ransacked the area.
Damari’s mother, Mandy, described her daughter as a lover of music, travel, soccer, good food, karaoke, and hats. Kibbutz Kfar Aza noted that Emily was often the “glue” that held her friend group together, organizing gatherings around the kibbutz’s best barbecue spot.
At 10:20 AM on October 7, 2023, Damari called her mother, saying, “Mom, I’m scared. I’m hiding under the bed and I hear them trying to enter my apartment,” her brother Dor recalled. Emily later sent a voice message to friends: “They’ve got me! They’ve got me! They’ve got me!” This message was crucial in confirming her abduction.
On January 26, 2024, Hamas released a video showing Damari alongside two other female Israeli soldiers. The video gave her family hope she was still alive.
Oron Shaul, a soldier killed on July 20, 2014, during clashes between Israel and Hamas, was among two soldiers whose bodies were held by militants. Despite a public campaign by their families, their remains have not been returned. Hadar Goldin, the other soldier, along with two Israelis who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, are also still held by militants.
The Hostages Families Forum, representing the relatives of captives, called the Shaul family an “inseparable part” of their group.
During Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, around 250 people were taken hostage, sparking a 15-month war. Currently, about 100 hostages remain in Gaza, while the others have either been released or their bodies recovered.
(With AP inputs)
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