Ceasefire brings hope: Israel and Hamas agree to hostage exchange
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in effect since 8:15 AM Greenwich Mean Time, according to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This follows Hamas providing the names of the hostages who will be released in the afternoon.
In a statement, Palestinian Hamas announced that three civilian women - Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher - will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
Twenty-four-year-old Gonen was kidnapped during the massacre carried out by Hamas on 7th October 2023, from the Nova Music festival near the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Twenty-eight-year-old Damari, who also holds British citizenship, was kidnapped in the morning of 7th October from her flat, which was stormed by Hamas terrorists.
Thirty-two-year-old Steinbrecher is a veterinary doctor and, like Damari, lived in the Kfar Aza kibbutz. Fighters abducted her from her flat.
