‘A deeply meaningful moment,’ it ‘fills our hearts with hope’: World hails hostage release

From Starmer to Zelensky, Thailand to the EU, leaders laud the return of the captives and urge full implementation of nascent truce

Left to right: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, Pool), Volodymyr Zelensky (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP), Ursula Von Der Leyen (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Left to right: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, Pool), Volodymyr Zelensky (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP), Ursula Von Der Leyen (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

World leaders hailed the release on Sunday of three Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, calling it overdue good news, and calling for the three-phase deal between Israel and the terror group to be implemented in its entirety.

The Hamas terror group released civilians Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, who were abducted by terrorists during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, on the first day of a three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal. The women were the first of 33 hostages, alive and dead, that Hamas is to release in the deal’s first phase, while Israel will release up to 1,904 Palestinian security prisoners.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the release of Emily Damari, a British-Israeli dual citizen, along with the two other hostages as “wonderful and long-overdue news.”

Praising the hostages’ families for their “tireless fight” to bring Damari home, the British premier wished all three returnees “the very best as they begin the road to recovery after the intolerable trauma they have experienced,” saying the UK stands “ready to offer assistance and support.”

Starmer also cautioned that the world must not forget about those still in Hamas captivity, as Sunday “also represents another day of suffering for those who haven’t made it home yet.”

“While this ceasefire deal should be welcomed, we must not forget about those who remain in captivity under Hamas,” he said. “We must now see the remaining phases of the ceasefire deal implemented in full and on schedule, including the release of those remaining hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Israel and Hamas have only so far agreed on the first phase, and will begin negotiating the second — which would see the war ended — in some two weeks’ time. Many members of Israel’s coalition have said they will not agree to a deal that ends the war.

From left: Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher (Courtesy)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the women’s release as a “deeply meaningful moment.”

“Seeing families reunited, and knowing the tears of relief and joy it brings, is something we can all connect with,” Zelensky posted on X. “As Ukrainians, we know the pain of separation and hope of bringing loved ones back home.”

“The path to lasting peace and dignity for all people is still long and challenging, but we hope for further progress toward security, stability, and normal life in the entire Middle East,” he added. “Ukraine wishes for peace, justice, and reliable security guarantees for all nations, just as we continue to fight for them ourselves.”

Emily Damari (right) and her mother, Mandy, hold a video call with family members after her return from Hamas captivity, January 19, 2025. (IDF)

Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu welcomed the release of Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a Romanian-Israeli, alongside the other two, and made a similar call for the full implementation of the deal.

“Their courage to endure captivity in such difficult conditions is an inspiration to us all,” he said in a post on Facebook.

“We need the full implementation of the agreement to continue so that all hostages are safely released and we stand in solidarity with the families still awaiting the return of their loved ones.”

Romanian Prime Minister designate Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democratic party, prepares to deliver a speech before a confidence vote for him and his team at the parliament in Bucharest, Romania, December 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A number of the hostages yet to be released are Thai nationals, the only non-Israelis that remain in Hamas captivity.

“Thailand welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage deal in the Gaza Strip,” Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said. “Thailand commends Qatar, Egypt and the United States of America, for their pivotal role and continued efforts in mediating the conflicting parties towards the successful conclusion of the deal.

“Thailand calls on all sides to fully implement the deal, as well as the immediate release of all remaining hostages, including Thai nationals,” the ministry said.

Hostages Romi Gonen (left), Emily Damari (center) and Doron Steinbrecher (right) are seen being transferred from the Red Cross to IDF troops in Gaza on January 19, 2025 (Screncapture/IDF video)

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called for the release of the three women from Hamas captivity to serve as a new chapter for Israelis and Palestinians.

“Romi Gonen, Emily Damari & Doron Steinbrecher are free. Others must follow,” von der Leyen wrote on X.

“Seeing the hostages’ reunion with their families fills our hearts with hope. Let it be the start of a new chapter for Israel and the Palestinian people. The ceasefire must hold. Europe will support it.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a post on X, welcomed the deal and called for its full implementation and the scaling-up of humanitarian aid deliveries to the strip.

“We stand ready to support this implementation & scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer,” he said.

“It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security & political obstacles to delivering aid.”

US President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on Monday, welcomed the expected release of the hostages, writing on his Truth Social platform before their release, “Hostages starting to come out today! Three wonderful young women will be first.”

After the hostages’ release, incoming US national security adviser Mike Waltz posted on X that he was “relieved these three brave women are no longer suffering at the hands of Hamas terrorists in the tunnels below Gaza and once again are with their families.”

“More to come,” he added.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, delivered a speech saying he “looks forward” to the deal being fully implemented, noting that the agreement was the result of the framework he unveiled in a May 31, 2024, speech, which went on to receive broad international backing, including from the UN Security Council.

US President Joe Biden speaks about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal in North Charleston, South Carolina, on January 19, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

The next releases under the accord are scheduled for Saturday, when four more hostages are to be freed. All 33 hostages to be freed in the first phase of the deal are so-called humanitarian cases, including women, children, men over 50, and ill or injured men. Most but not all of the 33 are believed to be alive.

Of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel, 91 are now believed to remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.

Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recently recovered from Gaza in a clandestine Israeli military operation.

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