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The process of transferring the three Israeli hostages slated for release from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip to the International Committee of the Red Cross has begun, Israeli sources reported on Sunday.
Saudi outlet Al Arabiya reported that the Red Cross was handing over Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari to Israeli forces.
Earlier, an official involved in the operation confirmed to Reuters that a Red Cross team stationed in Gaza was on its way to collect the hostages.
Israel’s Channel 12 News had cited the Palestinian Islamist organization as declaring that it would “soon” hand over the captives, who were taken by terrorists during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border terrorist massacre and were held hostage in the Gaza Strip for 471 days.
The Red Cross was expected to hand over the captives to Israeli special forces inside the Netzarim Corridor that splits the northern and southern Strip.
Once that happens, it will be another approximately two hours until they arrive at the hospital in Israel, the army estimates. The mothers of the three hostages will first meet them at the reception complex near Kibbutz Re’im. The remaining family members will meet them at the hospital.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz arrived at the reception point near the border community of Kibbutz Re’im, his office said.
“I came here to make sure that the IDF is prepared to receive and escort the hostages who are returning to Israel today. We will not stop the war until all the hostages return home,” Katz said in the published remarks.
The Israel Defense Forces shared footage on Sunday afternoon of the initial reception point, from where the released hostages are expected to be taken to hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families.
After Hamas delivered to Jerusalem the names of the three female hostages set to be released, the ceasefire took effect at 11:15 a.m.
Under the agreement with Hamas, the terrorist group should have provided the names of the hostages at least 24 hours ahead of the release of the three captives expected to be freed on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Gonen, 24, was abducted from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im after being shot by Hamas terrorists on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, while Steinbrecher, 31, and Damari, 28, were taken from their homes in the border community of Kfar Aza. Steinbrecher is a dual Israeli-Romanian citizen, while Damari also holds British citizenship.
Israel’s Health Ministry has formulated a new protocol for receiving and treating the captives due to be released, based on lessons learned from the November 2023 exchange of hostages for Palestinian terrorists.
The protocol has detailed guidelines for medical examinations, mental health care, privacy protection and long-term support for returnees and their families, emphasizing personalized care and respect for dignity.
Israel estimates that 25 of the 33 people on the list of hostages to be returned in the first stage of the renewed ceasefire deal are still alive. Ninety-four hostages abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre are still being held in Gaza, at least one-third of them dead.
The 33 captives are considered “humanitarian” cases—women, children, men over 50, wounded and ill, including two mentally ill Israelis who entered the Strip on their own over a decade ago (Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed).
