Romi Gonen in 1st public comments since she was freed: ‘I came out of the darkness into the light’

In her first public comments since she was freed by Hamas last month, former hostage Romi Gonen says she “came out of the darkness into the light.”

Gonen says that she can finally join the initiative promoted before her release in which people would wear her beloved leopard print on Wednesday.

“Thank God I am finally home to be a part of it. There is no doubt that leopard print is an inseparable part of me and thanks to my family and friends, you have turned it into an exciting initiative designed to remember me and fight for me,” she writes on Instagram.

“After 471 days, I came out of the darkness into the light, and I was so excited to shout: ‘Dad, I am back alive, Dad!'” she writes.

“Thank you to my beloved family who did everything to bring me home. Thanks to you, I was able to maintain my sanity and faith,” she writes.

“Thank you to all my friends who became the ‘Romi army’ and to everyone who took part in the struggle, to the security forces who risked their lives for us, I will be forever grateful,” she writes. “Huge support and love to the bereaved families.”

“My recovery journey begins now and I have many more surgeries and treatments ahead of me, but the most important thing is that I am home,” she writes.

“We must not forget that there are 79 more kidnapped people in Gaza, who survive every day in terrible conditions and are just waiting for us to save them. My rehabilitation will not be complete until they are all home. We must bring them home!!!!”

Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and held hostage by terrorists in the Gaza Strip for 471 days.