A daughter full of life who enjoys dancing and is lovingly referred to as “sunshine” by her father. A veterinary nurse with a passion for helping animals since childhood. A friend who is always supportive and present for others.

Romi Gonen, 24, Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Emily Damari, 28, are the first three female hostages from Israel freed by Hamas on Sunday as part of a long-awaited ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

After 471 days in captivity since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, these women were finally reunited with their families. The assault resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 251 others, who were taken to the Hamas-controlled coastal territory.

In conjunction with this hostage release, around 90 Palestinians locked up in Israel were also set free. This marks the beginning of a prolonged exchange of hostages and prisoners between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire has sparked hopes for an end to the war in Gaza, where nearly 47,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, and the region has faced devastating destruction.

The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the exit of the three Israeli women from Gaza. Once they reached Israel, they were greeted by the military, alongside medical personnel and mental health experts, before being flown by helicopter to hospitals in Tel Aviv. The ICRC confirmed that the women were in good health.

Earlier reports by YSL News indicated that many of the previously released Israeli female hostages during a prior ceasefire in November 2023 experienced sexual abuse while being held in Gaza.

No Americans held by Hamas were part of this release.

Gonen was taken hostage during an attack at the Nova music festival in southern Israel.

She managed to call her mother, Meirav, stating, “They shot me, Mom, and I’m bleeding,” while the chaos unfolded around her. Her family reported that she could be heard screaming while trying to escape in a car that became trapped in traffic.

“Everyone in the car is bleeding,” she mentioned during the call.

In various interviews, Gonen’s father, Eitan, has described her as “sunshine,” emphasizing her love for dance and her ability to light up any room she enters.

“She spreads warmth and joy wherever she goes, winning the hearts of everyone and uplifting their spirits,” he expressed.

Steinbrecher, who worked as a veterinary nurse, is known for her early morning runs around Kibbutz Kfar Aza, her community located just a mile from Gaza. On the day of the attack, October 7, 2023, she was in her apartment when Hamas militants stormed it.

“They’re here, they have captured me,” she relayed in a voice message to her family before she went silent.

Earlier in life, before her veterinary career, Steinbrecher volunteered at her school’s petting zoo.

As for the Palestinian prisoners released, most were women, according to a list from Israel’s justice ministry. Reports suggest the youngest among them was Mahmoud Aliowat at just 15 years old.

Some of these detainees have faced charges of terrorism and murder, while it is common for Israel to hold Palestinians without charges for minor offenses like throwing stones. The specifics of Aliowat’s detention remain unclear.

The ceasefire agreement is designed to occur in three phases. The current phase, initiated on Sunday, will run for six weeks, allowing for the release of 33 hostages in exchange for over a thousand Palestinian prisoners. Throughout this time, Israeli forces will retreat from densely populated areas in Gaza.

Negotiations for the second phase, which will see the release of additional hostages and an end to the conflict, are set to start in early February. The third phase will focus on rebuilding Gaza and repatriating any remaining deceased hostages. A previous ceasefire in November 2023, which lasted only a week before fighting resumed, resulted in the release of 105 hostages while Israel freed approximately 240 Palestinian prisoners.

In preparation for receiving the hostages, Israel organized specialized medical and trauma teams at the Gaza border, erecting tents and facilities to accommodate them.

“We anticipate significant effects on both their physical and mental well-being,” stated Hagai Levine, a public health physician overseeing the health aspects for the Hostages Families Forum.

Following this release, Israel estimates that 95 hostages are still in Gaza, four of whom were captured before the onset of the war.

Another four Israeli hostages are scheduled for release in one week. Subsequently, three more hostages will be returned weekly over four weeks, culminating with 14 hostages on the sixth week of the initial phase.

Details remain unknown regarding the release timing for the youngest hostages, two-year-old Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel. Kfir has spent both of his birthdays in captivity.

Hamas is known to be holding seven Americans. Four of them are presumed deceased, while two of the believed-to-be-alive hostages, Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, from Connecticut, and Keith Siegel, 64, from North Carolina, are expected to be released in the next six weeks. The fate of the third, a soldier named Edan Alexander, 21, from New Jersey, remains uncertain.

In contrast, Damari’s loved ones can finally embrace her again after this long ordeal.

She was shot in the hand and leg during her capture, and sadly, Hamas also killed her dog.

An Israeli-British citizen, Damari is remembered by family and friends as a “friend to everyone,” playing a pivotal role in a youth community group in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where she lived and was always present for those in need.

Her family shares her interests in karaoke, fashion, and support for the Tottenham Hotspur soccer team from the Premier League.

“All Emily’s mom, Mandy, wants is to hug Emily,” a family friend recounted to the BBC.

“She won’t believe it until she sees her.”

In a brief message to the media following her daughter’s release, Mandy Damari expressed her gratitude to “everyone who tirelessly fought” for her daughter’s freedom “during this harrowing experience.”

“After 471 days,” she concluded. “Emily is finally home.”