Gaza Ceasefire Deal: Who Are the Three Female Hostages to be Released First by Hamas?

Tel Aviv (The Uttam Hindu): Hamas publicly named three female hostages on Sunday who will be the first to be freed as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. In the first phase of the deal the Palestinian group will release 33 hostages, in exchange for Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. According to reports, Abu Obeida the spokesperson for Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, stated, "As part of the prisoner exchange agreement, we have decided to release Romi Gonen (24), Emily Damari (28) and Doron Shtanber Khair (31) on Sunday." As per the Times of Israel, Gonen's brother Shahaf confirmed on Instagram that his sister is among those listed and that the release is official.

Romi Gonen, 24 was taken hostage on October 7, 2023 during the Nova Festival. She called her mother to inform her that she had been shot during the Hamas attack. Three of her friends who were with her at the time were killed in the attack. Damari, a British-Israeli dual citizen and Shtanber were taken hostage from their homes in Kibbutz Kefar Aza on October 7, 2023. Damari was shot and injured by the attackers, and according to a media report her dog was shot and killed by them. Both Damari and Shtanber lived in Kibbutz where 11 of the 37 residents were killed and seven others were abducted to Gaza.

Israel believes that there are 98 hostages currently held in Gaza with approximately half of them believed to be alive. These hostages include both Israeli and non-Israeli nationals. Of the total hostages, 94 were taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 while four have been held in Gaza since 2014. Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. In response, Israel began its military operations against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip leading to widespread destruction. According to the health ministry in Gaza, operated by Hamas as of Saturday, nearly 46,899 Palestinians have been killed with at least 1,10,725 others injured.