Emily Damari, 28, Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Romi Gonen, 24, were released with sick ‘memorabilia’ commemorating the nearly 500 days they spent in Hamas internment
Hamas share video of them releasing hostages
Israeli hostages were handed “gift bags” by their Hamas captors as they were turned free over the weekend that included grim reminders of their internment at the terrorists’ hands.
The militant Palestinian terror group released the first three hostages as part of its deal with Israel on Sunday, with 90 prisoners released on the other side of the border in the early hours of the morning. Brit Emily Damari, 28, Israeli-Romanian Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Romi Gonen, 24, were transferred into the hands of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Gaza Strip on January 19.
The trio had spent 471 days in Hamas internment, with their handover captured by the group in a bizarre propaganda video that showed the white vans in which they travelled being mobbed by locals and gun-toting militants. The footage also captures the odd parting gifts they were given while being recorded in uncomfortably close proximity, which appeared to include a gift bag.
Pictures from the exchange show the three Israeli women being mobbed by locals while sitting in a white van, before they are handed a paper bag emblazoned with the insignia of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing. The bags reportedly contained photos of the women during their imprisonment, and came with a “certificate”, which was held up to the camera in the footage.
Israeli outlet Ynet said the bags also contained a map of the Gaza Strip, and the Jerusalem Post reported the documents they were handed were a “certificate of release”, which were signed by both Red Cross officials and militants. The group were made to pose with the bags and smile before they were handed over to the Red Cross on Sunday.
The Israeli survivors denounced the “gifts” as a “cynical game”, and suggested they may have been an attempt at propaganda by Hamas. The former hostages were also seen wearing lanyards bearing the Palestinian flag around their necks as Hamas tried to leave a stamp on the first people released from its clutches as part of the latest ceasefire deal.
The ICRC said in a statement following the handover that “large crowds” had descended on the transfer location, adding that their “heightened emotions” posed “challenges” in the operation. In a statement following the success on Sunday, Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the ICRC, called on both sides of the ceasefire to “ensure the next operations can take place safely”.
She said: “We are relieved that those released can be reunited with their loved ones. Ensuring their safe return and providing the necessary care at this critical moment is a great responsibility. This operation is a powerful example of how our role as a neutral actor between the warring sides can save and change lives, provided that the parties come to an agreement.
“More families are waiting anxiously for their loved ones to come home. We call on all parties to continue to adhere to their commitments to ensure the next operations can take place safely. Our teams are ready to continue to implement the agreement so that more hostages and detainees are released, and more families reunited.”
