Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 19, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Crowds at Hostages Square cheer as captives arrive back in Israel
Israelis in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square react as footage from Gaza shows Israeli hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher being handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross in Gaza, January 19, 2025 (Paulina Patimer / Hostages Families Forum)
Roughly 2,000 people crowd into Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, watching in silence as the first images of the returning hostages are broadcast.
Jerusalem’s confirmation that Doron Steinbrecher, Emily Damari and Romi Gonen are in Israeli hands is met with several waves of applause.
A strand of yellow balloons, whose color represents solidarity with the hostages, is released into the air, where it curls into the shape of the ubiquitous yellow ribbon.
Internet reception is faulty due to the crowd’s size. During breaks in the news broadcast on a large screen in the Square, the crowd chants to bring back “Everyone — now!”
