Three Israeli women, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari, have been successfully released after spending 471 days in captivity under a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The women were transferred from Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza amid a crowd of onlookers.
Upon their arrival in Israel, the women were seen standing on their own and will undergo medical evaluations before being reunited with their families. Steinbrecher and Damari were taken hostage from their homes in Kfar Aza, while Gonen was taken during a music festival after being shot.
President Joe Biden spoke about the release, despite the Trump administration's role in securing the deal. The release of the hostages comes on the eve of Donald Trump's second term inauguration.
This first wave of releases is part of a larger agreement where 33 hostages will be exchanged for about 1,000 Palestinian terrorists from Israeli jails. The Israel Defense Forces will also withdraw from certain areas of the Gaza Strip. The fate of the remaining 64 hostages in Gaza will be addressed in later phases of the agreement.
Among the 33 hostages to be released are two Americans, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen. While the exact number of living hostages is uncertain, it is believed that only 22 of the 33 to be released are still alive.
Overall, the release of the three Israeli women marks a significant step towards peace in the region, with hopes that future phases of the agreement will lead to the safe return of all remaining hostages.