Three former kidnapped Israeli women, Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen and Emily Damari were discharged from the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan on Sunday, the hospital announced
“Sheba Medical Center will continue to accompany them and their families. We continue to be ready and alert,” the medical center said.
Damari, a UK-Israeli national, was abducted from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza’s youth neighborhood and was shot in the hand. Steinbrecher, a veterinary nurse, was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Gonen, a waitress from Tel Aviv, was abducted from the Nova Music Festival after three people in a car with her were murdered.
Meanwhile, four hostages freed on Saturday are recovering at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva after 477 days in captivity.
Hamas freed Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levi after parading them across a stage in Gaza City in what experts described to The Press Service of Israel as “psychological warfare.”
Israel is delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza following Hamas’s violation of a ceasefire agreement on Saturday. The decision came after Hamas failed to include a civilian hostage, Arbel Yehud, whose release was stipulated in the deal.
Arbel Yehud, a 29-year-old civilian who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, was supposed to be among the four in place of one of the four soldiers. Hamas, for its part, issued a statement criticizing Israel for what it called delays in implementing the terms of the agreement but made no mention of Yehud. Hamas has not provided evidence that she is alive.
The decision to delay the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza was reportedly made during late-night security consultations on Friday, shortly after Hamas disclosed the names of the soldiers it planned to release. Israeli officials opted to delay the announcement until after the hostages were freed to avoid jeopardizing the process.
The first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages freed over six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The exact number will depend on how many are alive.
The fate of the remaining 65 hostages will be determined by negotiations to begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire. Critics say the phased approach condemns hostages not freed in the beginning to open-ended captivity and undermines Israel’s war gains.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 90 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.