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Israel welcomes home Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher.
By CORINNE BAUM JANUARY 19, 2025 19:14 Updated: JANUARY 19, 2025 19:15Israelis joyfully welcomed home released hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher from Hamas captivity on Sunday evening.
Romi Gonen's grandmother Dvora Leshem praised her granddaughter to Israeli media.
"She looks great," Leshem told Channel 12 after seeing footage of Gonen being transferred to the Red Cross. "I am glad to see her on her feet," she added.
When asked if she believed that Romi would return, her grandmother said, "of course I believed this would happen, I just don't understand why it took so long." Her grandmother praised Romi, saying she is wonderful, and remarking on her survival of the past nearly 500 days.
She emphasized the need to bring all remaining hostages home, saying that her heart is with all of the hostages.
Hostage and bereaved families forums
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called the three's release a light in the midst of the darkness.
"After 471 agonizing days in captivity, Emily, Doron, and Romi are finally returning home – to their families who worked tirelessly for their release, to friends who prayed for their well-being, and to an entire nation that never lost faith this day would come," the forum said in a statement.
"Their return today represents a beacon of light in the darkness, a moment of hope and triumph of the human spirit. For their families and for all of us, this is a moment that will be forever etched in our memory."
The forum reminded citizens that the war was not over until all of the hostages returned home.
"Their return reminds us of our profound responsibility to continue working towards the release of everyone - until the last hostage returns home."
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Thousands of people are now gathering in Hostages Square for a collective viewing alongside the families of the hostages during these deeply moving, historic moments.Join us ️Photo credit: Paulina Patimer#BringThemHomeNow#UntilTheLastHostage #AllTogether pic.twitter.com/yuJNRZGMa1
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) January 19, 2025The Tikva Forum, which represents some families of hostages and pushes for more pressure on Hamas, wrote that it was "deeply moving to see the girls returning home. We share the joy of the families who now get to embrace their daughters."
The Valor Forum, a group of 150 bereaved families whose loved ones have fallen in the Israel-Hamas war and who support increased military action, wrote that it was "deeply moved, together with all of Israel, by the return of Romi, Emily, and Doron and their release from the hands of Hamas terrorists."
"We all hope and pray to witness the release of all our hostages as part of achieving the full objectives of the war, including the dismantling of Hamas and restoring security to the residents of the South," the statement read.
Israeli politicians
President Isaac Herzog expressed his joy at the return of the three women.
"This is a day of joy and comfort, and the beginning of a challenging journey of recovery and healing together," the president wrote on X/Twitter.
Romi, Emily, and Doron – so beloved and missed – an entire nation rejoices at your return. We send you and your families a huge embrace. This is a day of joy and comfort, and the beginning of a challenging journey of recovery and healing together. “The eyes weep bitterly,…
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) January 19, 2025Former defense minister Yoav Gallant expressed his condolences on how long the deal took.
"Thank you for surviving the ordeal; we’re sorry it took too long," he wrote.
אמילי, דורון ורומי - ברוכות השבות הביתה.התמונות המרגשות הממלאות את הלב מדגישות בצורה המוחשית ביותר את חובתנו המוסרית, הערכית, היהודית והציונית, להשיב את כל החטופות והחטופים לישראל.תודה ששרדתן את התופת,סליחה שזה לקח יותר מדי זמן.כמה טוב שבאתן הביתה
— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) January 19, 2025Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who voted against the deal that brought Gonen, Damari, and Steinbrecher home, welcomed the women home in a post on X/Twitter.
אמילי, דורון ורומי, ברוכות השבות הביתה!הלב יוצא אליכן אחיות יקרות שלנו! עם שלם גאה בכן, דומע איתכן, ומחבק אתכן בלי סוף!
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) January 19, 2025MK Simcha Rothman, who heavily opposed the deal, congratulated the three women on their return.
"My opinion on the current framework is well-known to everyone, but the emotional and powerful moment of these three girls being handed over to the IDF and reunited with their families crystallizes the essence of the difference between us and them – every Jewish soul is, for us, a world in its entirety," Rothman said.
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