Eitan Gonen and Eli Albag, fathers of released Hamas hostages Romi Gonen and Liri Albag, respectively, held their first interviews since their daughters' release with Kan Reshet Bet on Monday.
Eitan spoke with the interviewers for approximately 20 minutes, while Eli spoke for four minutes. He abruptly cut the interview short when Liri entered the room because he wanted to spend time with her.
"Liri is fine. As much as possible. She's on her feet. We have a long road ahead of us that we don't know where we're going with her. We're letting her breathe. We're keeping her from saying what she wants and saying what she wants. We're giving her her time," Eli said.
Eli also stated that "we will not be silent until the last of the hostages are released" and thanked everyone who worked on releasing his daughter, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the government, and the opposition.
"Arriving with shivers'
Gonen referred to his daughter as a "mature, amazing woman" and said that when they received the phone call that Romi would be released, they were filled with "tears, the crying, the crazy excitement...the screaming in the car" and that they "arrived with shivers" at the meeting place.
Gonen emphasized that Romi's rehabilitation is being done "slowly" and "safely" and that "We can't put too much pressure on her," stating that "it's like childbirth; we've had a baby girl."
Gonen also called on hostage families to continue being interviewed by the media, insinuating that Romi was strengthened by knowledge of the interviews.