THIS is the vile moment three Israeli hostages received “gift bags” from Hamas containing haunting memories of their captivity just before they were freed.
The bags reportedly included photographs of the women during their imprisonment and a so-called “certificate,” a grim reminder of their 15-month nightmare in Gaza.
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The twisted spectacle was captured in a propaganda video released by Hamas on Sunday.
It showed the three terrified women – Emily Damari, 28, Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 – being harassed by a crowd as they were taken to Red Cross officials in a central square in Gaza City. .
Masked agents carrying machine guns flanked the hostages, while hundreds of Palestinians gathered to watch the tense exchange.
The images paint a chilling picture of the horrific experience these women endured, with their fear evident as they stepped from a Hamas van into Red Cross vehicles.
Read more about the Gaza war
Emily Damari, a dual British-Israeli citizen, returned home on Sunday after enduring what her family described as a “horrible experience”.
Her mother, Mandy, issued a heartfelt statement saying: “After 471 days, Emily is finally home.
“I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily during this horrible experience and who never stopped saying her name.
“In Israel, Great Britain, the United States and all over the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.”
The emotional toll was seen in the first image of Emily after her release: a snapshot of her smiling during a video call with her brother, her bandaged hand a stark reminder of the violence she survived.
Brave Emily Damari will take years to recover from horrific experience at the hands of Hamas monsters, says hostage’s father
Emily lost two fingers after being shot by Hamas during the October 7 attack on her kibbutz, Kfar Aza, where she was ambushed.
The long-awaited launch arrives when The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in place after months of relentless war.
The truce was nearly derailed in the final hours of negotiations, but hostages were exchanged as part of the deal, marking the first step toward a tenuous pause in hostilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that this ceasefire is temporary and has stressed: “We are committed to dismantling Hamas and bringing all hostages home.”
The reunion of the hostages with their families in southern Israel was a moment of raw emotion.
The three women hugged their mothers tightly after being handed over by Red Cross teams to Israel Defense Forces personnel.
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Comfort items, including a leopard-print blanket for Romi Gonen, were provided by IAF helicopters as part of efforts to facilitate his return.
But the harrowing images of his transfer from Hamas terrorists to the Red Cross cast a dark shadow over the relief of his release.
Campaigners and campaigners such as Finchley’s Max Radford have called for greater international pressure on extremist groups.
He said today: “This is just the beginning. There are still 95 hostages in captivity. We cannot rest until everyone is free.
“We have to face Iran“We have to stand up to Hamas, we have to stand up to Hezbollah, the Houthis and anyone who has this jihadist ideology because it is simply not compatible with modern civilization.”
What happened on October 7?
ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack against Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
The terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people (most of them civilians) and kidnapping another 250, including women, children and the elderly.
In the coordinated assault, heavily armed fighters infiltrated Israeli cities, kibbutzim and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were massacred in their homes and graphic images of the atrocities spread on social media, leaving the world in shock.
And in addition to attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova peace music pageant, killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a rapid and massive retaliatory response by Israel, leading to a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region, but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.
