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As 3 Hostages Return Home, Israelis Gather for Tearful Celebration

At Hostages Square on Sunday, Israelis expressed joy at the return of the first three released hostages and called on the public to continue applying pressure until everyone is back

אמילי דמארי במפגש הראשוני עם משפחתה במרכז הרפואי שיבא (צילום: דוברות המרכז הרפואי שיבא)
Released hostage Emily Damari reunited with her family at Sheba Hospital. (Photo: Sheba Hospital public relations)
By Michal Marantz

Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Sunday to witness the release of three civilian women after 15 months of captivity in Gaza. With Israeli flags in their hands and tears in their eyes, they watched as Romi Gonen, 24; Emily Damari, 28; and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, reunited with their mothers and were welcomed back into Israel. The three women’s release marks the first exchange in the ceasefire, the initial stage of which is expected to see 33 hostages released over six weeks.

Released hostage Doron Steinbrecher embracing her mother. (Photo: Sheba Hospital public relations)
Released hostage Doron Steinbrecher embracing her mother. (Photo: Sheba Hospital public relations)
Romi Gonen reunited with her mother after her release from captivity. (Photo: IDF spokesperson’s office)
Romi Gonen reunited with her mother after her release from captivity. (Photo: IDF spokesperson’s office)

Some of those who came out to the square had personal connections to the hostages. Yohai Donana, originally from the southern kibbutz of Nir Yitzhak, said that he was present because of his connections to Tal Haimi and Lior Rudaeff, two members of Nir Yitzhak whose bodies are being held in Gaza. “We need to remember that not everyone has come back and to fight until the final hostage,” he said.

Israelis gather at Hostages Square to watch the release of the three women. (Photo: Kadia Levy)
Israelis gather at Hostages Square to watch the release of the three women. (Photo: Kadia Levy)

Others came to the square out of a broader sense of connection. “I decided to come to feel the energy and the excitement,” Tami Shel of Tel Aviv said. “I’m happy I came, because these feelings are very moving. There are obviously mixed feelings, since on the one hand I am happy about every hostage who returns, and on the other hand I can’t stand our prime minister.”

Shel said that she goes every morning to Beit Ariela, the public library beside Hostages Square that has become a home base for families of hostages. “Sometimes I see children whose fathers are still there [in Hamas captivity], and my heart breaks,” she said, expressing doubt that the Israeli government would manage to bring all the hostages home.

Itai Reginio, a 19-year-old from Ramat Gan, also expressed mixed feelings. “I came because I wanted to see people’s faces and to feel a sense of belonging. On the one hand, I feel great joy, and on the other hand, it feels like this is a deal with the devil,” he said. “We’re trying to focus on happiness and on the fact that they were released. But the fact that not everyone is coming home now is not simple.”

Amit Barnea, a 37-year-old from Jaffa, said that she has been protesting for a deal to release all the hostages for the past year. “The message is that everyone, everyone needs to return,” she said. “For many months I’ve been coming here every day. In the cynical world that we live in, public pressure is the only thing that helps.”

She expressed concerns that the public would be satisfied with the releases of the first stage of the deal and not apply enough pressure to ensure that every one of the hostages is brought home.

This article was translated from Hebrew by Leah Schwartz. 

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