The first three Israeli hostages released under the new ceasefire agreement in Gaza are in “stable condition,” the hospital where they were taken told the Times of Israel newspaper today.
Emily Damari, Romy Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher were released yesterday after spending more than 15 months held hostage in the Gaza Strip.
“It will take a few more days to complete the necessary tests,” said Shefi Mendelovich, the deputy director general at the Simba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv. Hospital staff will continue to monitor their clinical condition, he added.
The three women were kidnapped from Gaza during the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023. After being handed over to the International Red Cross, they were taken to the hospital to be reunited with their families.
About 90 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were released in exchange for the release of the three hostages.
Damari, who holds dual Israeli and British citizenship, posted on Instagram expressing her feelings after her release after 471 days of captivity. “I am back to the life I love. I am the happiest person in the world just to be alive,” the 28-year-old reportedly wrote, according to the newspaper.
Emily’s mother, Maddy Damari, said in a statement issued through the Hostage and Missing Families Forum that her daughter “is in much better health than we expected.” “Yesterday I was finally able to hug Emily, just like I had dreamed I would for so long,” she said, thanking the public for their unwavering support over the past 15 months. “You are all an integral part of Emily’s family.” Maddy Damari praised her daughter’s “incredible strength,” said the road to recovery is “just beginning” and asked for respect for her daughter’s privacy and that of the entire family.
For her part, Meirav Leshem Gonen, the mother of Romy Gonen, who was also released yesterday, said that she "needs some time to believe the new reality."
In a short post on Facebook, Lesem Gonen says that she currently lives "in an alternative reality, cut off from the outside world, where nothing exists except family."
Source: protothema.gr
