THIS is the tear-jerking moment the first three hostages set free by Hamas terrorists get emotional after finally reuniting with their mums.
Footage released by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) shows Brit hostage Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher hugging their mums after surviving 471 days of hellish captivity.
IDF/CNNThe moment Brit hostage Emily Damari was reunited with her mum Mandy[/caption]
IDF/CNNIsraeli hostage Romi crying before meeting her mum[/caption]
IDF/CNNThe pair broke down in tears after reuniting[/caption]
AFPIsraeli hostage Doron Steinbracher with her mother Simone[/caption]
They were the first three Israeli hostages released in phase one of the ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
Touching moments followed their arrival in Israel, where their mums embraced them at an Israeli Defence Forces reception centre.
Emily beamed with joy as she hugged her mum and said: “I survived for you my life.”
Another image showed Emily, bandaged but defiant, waving her injured hand in a powerful gesture of resilience.
Israeli hostage Romi was seen crying as she excitedly asked: “Where is my mum,” before tightly hugging her.
The pair broke down in tears in each other’s arms.
Doron Steinbrecher smiled as she finally got together with her mum.
The trio’s release was nearly derailed as Hamas delayed providing their names, prompting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to accuse the group of breaching the ceasefire terms.
Emily said she is “the happiest person in the world” in the first Instagram post after 15 months in captivity.
She wrote: “I’m loving, loving, loving. Thanks be to G-d. Thanks to my family, to Oreli, to the best friends I have in this world. I have returned to life, my loved ones.
“I have managed to see just a tiny bit of everything, and you have shattered my heart from emotion. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am the happiest person in the world, just to be.”
Her mum Mandy Damari gave an emotional first statement after her daughter’s release.
She praised the global effort that secured her daughter’s freedom, thanking the soldiers who “fought and gave their lives,” international leaders, and the thousands of volunteers who campaigned tirelessly for Emily’s safe return.
Mandy, 63, said on Monday: “I’m delighted to be able to tell you that Emily is in high spirits and on the road to recovery.
“As you will have seen last night, she is an amazingly strong and resilient young woman.”
PAEmily gave a defiant salute with a bullet-ravaged hand[/caption]
AfpMandy revealed her daughter is ‘in high spirits and on the road to recovery’[/caption]
IDFEmily, centre, Romi, left, and Doron on their release[/caption]
GettyBritish hostage Emily was set free on Sunday[/caption]
In her plea to the world, the mum added: “Please keep on fighting for the remaining 94 hostages who need to come home.
“The hostages in Gaza must have access to humanitarian aid while they are waiting to be released.”
Emily was abducted during the devastating October 7 Hamas assault on a kibbutz.
She suffered horrific injuries as militants stormed her home, shooting her dog Choocha in her arms before turning their guns on her.
Two of her fingers were shot off, and she was dragged into captivity.
For more than a year, Emily endured unthinkable conditions in underground tunnels, described by freed captives as places of “torture, isolation, and fear.”
She was unable to eat or even move without permission.
What happened on October 7?
HAMAS launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.
Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.
The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.
Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.
And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.
The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.
The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.
A historic ceasefire deal was achieved between Israel and Hamas last week.
All the hostages are now expected to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The detailed plan has been divided into three phases and is expected to last for weeks.
Four more hostages will be returned on the seventh day then every week for a period of four weeks.
The next release of hostages and prisoners is due Saturday.
Finally, 14 hostages will be returned in the sixth week from the group of 33 made up of 12 women and children, 10 men over the age of 50 and 11 younger men.
Negotiations will start again to secure the release of 65 hostages still in Gaza on the 16th day of the ceasefire.
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