Silence fell over the hundreds of people who stood side by side in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv as they fixated on the live stream from the Gaza Strip. As they watched the Red Cross vehicles drive into Gaza moments later, their locked-in-focus erupted into tears, cheers, and embraces when the live stream cut to footage of hostage Doron Steinbrecher.
For the first time in a year, the 31-year-old was seen alive, wearing a bright pink shirt, her hair in a braid, among a sea of armed Hamas terrorists as they transferred her from one Red Cross vehicle to another.
“I hope in the deepest part of my heart this was the scariest moment for them,” said Oz Fenton, who came to support the hostages and their families at Hostages Square.
As the Red Cross transported Steinbrecher to the IDF in the Gaza Strip, with the other two freed hostages, Romi Gonen and Emily Damari, the electricity in the square could be felt from the ground up. Tears streamed down the faces of those in awe of the moment; after 470 days of Hamas captivity, three female hostages were not only alive but officially in the hands of the IDF, heading back to Israel.
The soul of Jewish nation celebrates moments of life
“Tonight, I’m glad to see people smiling on the streets for the right reasons,” said Fenton. “So many days we held our breath because so many things could go wrong.”
The Jewish nation celebrates moments of life; this time, it’s a rebirth of three innocent women who were dragged into Gaza after Hamas unleashed bloodshed and death on October 7, 2023.
As these hostages went from captivity to freedom, supporters in Hostage Squares said they were thrilled to see them in seemingly decent condition.
“We came here in the good moments together,” said supporter Vanessa, who did not give her last name. “I’m glad they’re on their feet and walked out; it’s quite incredible.”
The hostage deal took months for both Israel and Hamas to agree on, leaving desperate families in a state of limbo, uncertainty, and frustration with the government and terrorist organization.
And with the release of these three hostages, 95 other families are still wondering when their loved ones’ names will be on the list.
OUTGOING US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the final deal was nearly identical to the framework he proposed back in May, which was reportedly pushed over the finishing line now by incoming US President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
This deal is the first time Hamas released hostages in an agreement in almost 14 months.
“It’s a huge relief to see that they’re here and that they look okay. But I can’t help thinking that this could have happened months ago,” said Liat Atzili, a former American-Israeli hostage who was released in the first deal in November 2023.
A teacher, Holocaust educator, and mother to three children, Atzili was kidnapped from her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and knows what it’s like to try to rebuild her life after being in captivity.
“I didn’t come back to my life... I came back to find out that my husband was dead and my home destroyed,” she said.
Atzili’s husband, Aviv, was murdered by Hamas terrorists when he responded to the attack on the kibbutz. “From there, I’ve been trying to do my best. I think I’m doing a pretty good job. I have a wonderful family who fought for me, and I owe it to them.”
Thirty-three hostages were named as captives set to be released as part of the 42-day first phase of the ceasefire deal.
Although the relatives of hostages who are still being held by terrorists shared their happiness over the events on Sunday, they were still fighting their own battle for their loved ones to be included on the next list for the second phase of the deal.
“While it’s bittersweet knowing that Omri [Miran] is not part of this phase, it gives us hope and strengthens our resolve to keep fighting until everyone is back,” said Moshe Lavi, whose brother-in-law, Miran, is still a hostage in Gaza.
“Every moment counts, and we will keep pushing until all the hostages are safely returned,” he said.
The families of hostages are pushing to include all hostages in this deal and have a plan to bring everyone home, whether alive or not.
“I’m also thinking of the hostages who are waiting to be released, about their families, and about the hostages who were murdered,” Atzili said. “So much can go wrong until everybody comes home – and it’s terrifying.”