Tasteless gifts

Hamas gave “souvenirs” to released hostages

The released Israeli hostages were given macabre mementos to take home with them.

(Bild: AFP/Israel Army)

Hamas released three young Israeli women on Sunday. According to reports, they were given tasteless souvenirs of their time in captivity. A video shows former hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher holding paper bags.

Hebrew media reported that inside were a map of the Gaza Strip, photos of them from their time in captivity and a "certificate of gratitude". On their release, the civilians Romi Gonen (24), Emily Damari (28) and Doron Steinbrecher (31) were surrounded by a large crowd in a vehicle in Gaza. Armed Hamas members accompanied them and pushed the people back.

According to the Red Cross, the three women are in good condition under the circumstances. Their physical condition is good enough that they can already concentrate on reuniting with their family members, said the director of the hospital in Tel Aviv, Yahel Frankel-Nir. Dealing with medical issues could be postponed for a few hours.

Here you can see the video of the paper bags.

Announcements on airplanes
Emily Damari lost two fingers during the Hamas kidnapping, however, and the 28-year-old's bandaged hand could be seen in photos. Terrorists abducted the three women during the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023 and have held them in the Gaza Strip ever since.

The Israeli airline El Al has made announcements on all its planes worldwide about the release of the hostages. "El Al and all the Israeli people are waiting for the return home of all our brothers and sisters," said a representative of the control center.

Here you can see a photo of Doron Steinbrecher with her family.

Are most of the hostages still alive?
94 abductees from Israel are still being held in the Gaza Strip. 30 of them are to be released in the coming weeks. Israel's government is optimistic that most of them are still alive. In the first six weeks of the ceasefire agreement between Israel's government and the terrorist organization Hamas, three to four hostages are to be released every week.

In return, 1,900 Palestinians will be released from Israel's prisons, 90 of them starting on Sunday. The six-week ceasefire is to be followed by a second and third phase, although further negotiations are still required.

Foreign Minister praises Trump
"We saw the pictures from Gaza today. Hamas is still in power in Gaza," said Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. That had to change. The politician also praised the role of future US President Donald Trump: "President Trump's strong commitment in recent weeks has been very, very helpful. We worked together to achieve a goal that was very important to us (...)."