Israeli father says even in Hamas captivity, his daughter heard his pleas to come home alive
Israeli father says even in Hamas captivity, his daughter heard his pleas to come home alive
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For more than 470 days, Eitan Gonen publicly pleaded with his daughter to stay alive while in Hamas captivity. He didn't know if she would hear him, but he ended every interview he gave with the same hopeful message: Romi is coming home alive. When he finally got to speak to his daughter for the first time in 15 months after she and two other women were freed Jan. 19, he got his answer.
"She said, ’Dad, I came home alive,'” Eitan Gonen told The Associated Press on Tuesday in his first interview with an international news outlet since her release. “I know that my interview back then gave Romi a lot of strength, a lot of hope, something to cling on,” he said.
Romi Gonen, 24, was among the first hostages to be freed from Gaza and one of seven women so far released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire, a long and uncertain process aimed at eventually ending the war. Some 250 people were kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. About 90 hostages remain in Gaza, although at least a third of them are believed to be dead.
During the ceasefire's first phase, Hamas agreed to gradually release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel freeing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Six more hostages are expected to be released this week in exchange for hundreds of prisoners. Israel has been preparing for the hostages to return, with the expectation that after more than a year in captivity, many would likely be dealing with life-threatening health issues or other physical and psychological problems. This week, Dr. Ami Benov, who is working with the hostages, told reporters that the women were in poor physical condition and would face a lengthy recovery process, as they suffered from “mild starvation” and vitamin deficiencies.
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