Hostage square erupts in emotion as three female hostages are released from captivity

Tears streamed down the faces of those in awe of the moment; after 470 days of Hamas captivity, three female hostages are not only alive but they're back in Israel.

By SHOSH BEDROSIAN JANUARY 19, 2025 22:19

Israelis gather in hostage square to watch news coverage of the hostages returning 19 January, 2025. (photo credit: Chen Schimmel/The Jerusalem Post)

Silence took over the hundreds of people that stood side by side in Hostage Square, as their eyes were glued to the live stream coming from the Gaza Strip. As they watched the Red Cross vehicles drive into Gaza, moments later their locked-in-focus erupted into tears, embracing one another, and cheering when the livestream cut to a video of hostage Doron Steinbrecher. For the first time in one year, the 31-year-old was seen alive, in a bright pink shirt with a braid in her hair — in a sea of hundreds of Hamas terrorists, as they passed her from one Red Cross vehicle to the next.

“I hope in the deepest part of my heart this was the scariest moment for them,” said Oz Fenton, who came to support at Hostage Square. 

As the Red Cross transported Steinbrecher with the other two freed hostages, Romi Gonen and Emily Damari, to the IDF in the Gaza Strip, the electricity in the square could be felt from the ground up. Tears streamed down the faces of those in awe of the moment; after 470 days of Hamas captivity, three female hostages are not only alive, but they’re officially in the hands of the IDF, heading back to Israel. 

“Tonight, I’m glad to see people smiling on the streets for the right reasons,” said Fenton. “So many days we held our breath because so many things could go wrong.”

The soul of Jewish nation celebrates moments of life

The soul of the Jewish nation celebrates moments of life, this time it’s the re-birth of three innocent women that were dragged into Gaza after Hamas unleashed bloodshed and death on October 7 in Israel. As they begin a new journey from captivity to freedom, supporters in Hostage Square say they were thrilled to see them in decent condition.

Protesters and hostage families in ront of the IDF headquarters calling to keep up the fight until the last hostage returns. (credit: Adar Eyal)

“We came here in the good moments together,” said supporter Vanessa, who did not give her last name. “I’m glad they’re on their feet and walked out, it’s quite incredible.”

It’s a deal that took months for both Israel and Hamas to agree on, leaving desperate hostage families in a state of limbo, uncertainty, and frustration with the government and terror organization. And with the release of three hostages, 95 other families are still wondering when their loved ones name will be on the list. President Biden said on Wednesday the final deal was nearly exact to the framework he proposed back in May, which was helped pushed over the finish line by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. This deal is the first time Hamas released hostages in a deal in 14 months.

“It's a huge relief to see that they're here and that they look ok. But I can't help thinking that this could have happened months ago,” said Liat Atzili, a former American-Israeli hostage who was released in the first deal in November 2023.

Atzili is a teacher, Holocaust educator, and mother to three children. She was kidnapped from her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and knows what it's like to be forced to rebuild her life once she was released from captivity. 

“I didn't come back to my life... I came back to find out that my husband is dead and my home destroyed,” she said. Atzili’s husband, Aviv, was murdered by Hamas terrorists when he responded to the attack on the kibbutz. “From there I've been trying to do my best. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. I have a wonderful family who fought for me and I owe it to them.”

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Thirty three hostages were named as part of the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire hostage deal. While other families of hostages share their happiness for the released hostages tonight, they remain fighting for their loved ones to be named on the next list for the second phase of the deal.

“While it’s bittersweet knowing Omri isn’t part of this phase, it gives us hope and strengthens our resolve to keep fighting until everyone is back,” said Moshe Lavi, whose brother-in-law, Omri Miran, is still a hostage in Gaza.

“Every moment counts, and we will keep pushing until all the hostages are safely returned,” said Lavi.

The families of hostages are pushing negotiators and Israel to include all hostages in this deal and have a plan to bring everyone home, all living and dead hostages. 

“I’m also thinking of the hostages who are waiting to be released, about their families and about the hostages who were murdered. So much can go wrong until everybody comes home and it's terrifying,” said Atzili.