Hamas Releases First Three Female Captives as Hostages-for-Terrorists Deal Begins
Israel to free 90 convicted terrorists for the three women being release today.

Hamas has handed over three female captives as part of the hostages-for-terrorists deal, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed. Ahead of the exchange, the Gaza-based terrorist group identified the first hostages to be freed today as Romi Gonen (24), Emily Damari (28), and Doron Steinbrecher (31).
🟡 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: The 3 released hostages are currently being transferred to IDF and ISA forces in Gaza.
They are accompanied by IDF and ISA special forces upon their return to Israeli territory, where they will undergo an initial medical assessment.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 19, 2025
🔴A moment we will never forget:
Emily, Romi and Doron are transferred from the Red Cross to members of the @IDF 🇮🇱🎗️❤️ pic.twitter.com/tVRvloqmyj
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) January 19, 2025
The Times of Israel reported the release of hostages Sunday afternoon:
Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher are in the hands of IDF troops in the Gaza Strip.
They will be brought out of Gaza to a facility near the border for an initial checkup.
The IDF says the three hostages are being escorted by an elite unit, after they were handed over to them by the Red Cross.
Hamas is forcing the hostages to walk through a crowd of jeering innocent civilians, like something from Game of Thrones. Terrorizing them till the bitter end. pic.twitter.com/y755deq1H0
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) January 19, 2025
A video on X supposedly shows Red Cross vehicles on their way to retrieve the hostages after more than 470 days of captivity in Gaza:
3 רכבי הצלב האדום בתנועה לחבירה pic.twitter.com/94hqxagroa
— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) January 19, 2025
The IDF has helicopters are in place to bring freed hostages home.
🚁Bringing Them 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲: Here are exclusive images of IAF helicopters prepared for the process of receiving the hostages from Gaza. pic.twitter.com/yiKPQhAbch
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) January 19, 2025
Monsters. Absolute monsters. Like a pack of hyenas, they are surrounding this poor woman Doron, who is being released after 471 days of captivity in Gaza. What a sick society! At least Doron is now free! pic.twitter.com/pL1V5BTgub
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) January 19, 2025
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is also undertaking security measures as freed terrorists are being moved to East Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank.
“In accordance with the political directive, as part of the ceasefire agreement and in preparation for the release of Palestinian prisoners, the IDF Central Command has been reinforced with additional combat soldiers for defensive and offensive operations across Judea and Samaria,” the Israeli military said Sunday. “The troops will be stationed on key routes where additional checkpoints will be established and will operate to thwart terrorist activity and violent riots.”
Some 90 terrorists will be released for the first batch of Israeli hostages. “The Justice Ministry confirmed on Sunday that 90 Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for three Israeli hostages: Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported. “Of this total, 78 prisoners will be transferred to the West Bank and 12 to east Jerusalem.”
Israel will be releasing nearly 2000 Palestinian terrorists in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, which will last six weeks.
First moments of Romi, Emily, and Doron reuniting with their families. 🎗🇮🇱
📸: IDF Spokespersons' Unit pic.twitter.com/tEVx5G8SnB
— Government Press Office 🇮🇱 (@GPOIsrael) January 19, 2025
Romi in the arms of her mother.
The moment we have all been waiting for ❤️ pic.twitter.com/N6CkQiJUPj
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) January 19, 2025
Doron sobbing in the arms of her mother ❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/B2TT0CsQNM
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) January 19, 2025

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Comments
I am
Thrilled for the release of the innocent Israelites amd Americans
I spit on Hamas, Palestine and for Trump pressuring Isreal into this foul deal
I’m still hoping there is some back room planning going on to completely annihilate Hamas and co. and that this is some serious head fake.
You must have missed the brief from Aaron Cohan when he said the remaining hostages were surrounded by bomb wearing Hamas terrorists. Any attempt at rescue would result in the death of all. I don’t like the number of criminal terrorists released, so many for so few hostages. Israel has an excellent track record of killing the enemy, and they will probably do a “Munich” on many. I do worry that another Sinwar will come out of those released.
I hope that before Israel releases Hamas prisoners that they administered some type of toxic substance that would shorten their life expectancy considerably.
Just castrate them.
Gonzotox, I agree fully with your last sentence. Trump got an extra bonus by achieving something Brandon wanted but couldn’t do: he set in motion the collapse of Netanyahu’s government.
Putting Trump in the same mold as the others is pathetic.
Actually it’s not
He claimed he was responsible for this travesty
It’s his rosemarys baby
Acually, it is. Not only because this “travesty” is far from from written, but because of the false equivalence. The fact is that you have no clue what it is, yet you spit away. Again, pathetic.
We have seen this kind of reaction regarding Trump before, only to find out that there is to the story.
We know that Middle East terrorists always break the deals. Maybe there is a side agreement that when that happens, and it will, that America, Israel and hopefully other allies will go all out to eliminate these POS, especially Iran.
While I am thankful for their release, I cannot imagine the horror these young women endured and I am certain that they’ve been physically and emotionally scarred irreparably.
Hamas is Islam in practice, not some aberration of it. Unless we in the west wake up to the fact that there is no possibility of living in peace with Islam at all anywhere we will continue to be victims of its clearly stated creed.
Completely agree. We seem unwilling to recognize the enemy.
What’s the difference between IDF soldiers and hamas terrorists?
Soldiers—-capture prisoners: murderers, rapists, killers
Terrorists—-take hostages: innocent women, children, babies
They will have a part of them always held hostage by Hamas.
I. Believe the Red Criss always knew where the hostages were
My understanding is that they never visited them
Hey Trump
Where are all the American hostages?
If you think Israel will simply forget, you are likely mistaken, big time. This is just the start of the next phase, which will not be like the way it was before October 7. The rules have morphed and Israel has shown how it can and will play new game, especially once the hostage matter is not the forefront.
No one thinks the Israelites will forget, but we have tied their hands behind their back and released the hounds from hell
You know nothing of the sort. The jury is out. The enemies are almost wholly degraded and there is a new sheriff in town. There is nothing that says Israel will not act, but this time the US will not throwing obstacles in the way.
https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/c627xg2ndxeo
For anyone interested, the video at the top of this BBC Russian language story shows even more forcefully what Arsen Ostrovskij was condemning.
It just shows what savages these HAMAS SOBs are. Imagine the terror of this woman as she has to brave these animals pressing against her and then jumping on top of the van she was in.
Watching the video, do you get the impression that these HAMAS scum are now ready for peace? Yeah, me neither.
I’m sure all the terrorists that are released have active and passive tracking devices surgically implanted.
gift bags. eradication needed.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamas-gave-released-hostages-gift-bags-with-mementos-of-time-in-captivity/
Vegas odds say at least half of the HamSSters released today will be dead by the end of the year. The IDF will neither forget nor forgive.
This 30 terrorist for 1 hostage BS has got to stop.
This was no “deal”. It was an extortion, both from the terrorists and from what I understand, the Biden administration. They were threatening to not veto an anti-Israel bill at the UN. I’m hoping that by Israel agreeing to this extortion and releasing known terrorist killers, they will receive from the US what they need to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.