Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, three young Israeli women abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were released from captivity in the Gaza Strip today.

As expected, Hamas milked the event for everything it was worth. The handover from Hamas captivity to Red Cross vehicles tasked with taxiing the hostages to Israeli forces, was an orgy of hate. A huge mob of local Palestinians gathered to jeer at the hostages and thank Allah for this “victory.” The hostages were surrounded at every moment by heavily-armed and masked Hamas gunmen, no doubt there more to intimidate the emaciated Israeli women than to protect them from the mob.

The Hamas Rapist Regime was hellbent on terrorizing Emily, Doron and Romi till the bitter end. Now they are free of its clutches after 471 days. pic.twitter.com/bNv3ywHLyV

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) January 19, 2025

As difficult as the images were, the important thing is that all three women are alive and were healthy enough to walk themselves to the Red Cross vehicles.

Now begins the long road to recovery.

Who are the hostages?

Romi Gonen, 24, was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7. She initially managed to escape the main festival ground, but after hours of running and hiding, she and a group of friends were ambushed when trying to flee in a vehicle. Romi was shot in the hand and taken to Gaza.

Emily Damari, 28, was abducted on October 7, 2023 from her apartment in Kfar Aza, along with 37 other resident of the kibbutz. During the abduction, terrorists killed Emily’s dog, and she reportedly suffered wounds from a gunshot to the hand and shrapnel to the leg.

Doron Steinbrecher, 31, was abducted on October 7, 2023 from her apartment in Kfar Aza, along with 37 other residents of the kibbutz.

What are they returning to?

Romi Gonen: Her close friend Gaya Halifa was killed as they attempted to escape the slaughter at the Nova festival.

Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher: Out of the 37 residents of Kfar Aza’s “Singles’ Neighborhood”, all friends of Emily and Doron, 11 were murdered and 7 taken hostage on that Black Shabbat.

Gaza won’t rule Gaza?

US President-elect Donald Trump’s designated national security advisor, Mike Waltz, reiterated on Sunday that “Hamas will not govern Gaza” at the end of this war.

But the images emerging all day on Arab mainstream and social media were of Hamas forces flooding the streets of the streets of Gaza. And the scene at the hostage release emphasized that Hamas is firmly in control of any area vacated by Israeli forces.

Trump and his team might mean what they say, but it’s going to take more than slogans to remove Hamas from power once and for all, and to prevent Gaza from reverting to a terror haven.