On January 19, 2025, hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher crossed the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel, after 471 days in Hamas captivity. Below is an initial report of Gonen’s capture.
Romi Gonen, 22 (now 24), was last heard from at 10:58 on Saturday morning, October 7, as she and her friends tried to escape the Hamas assault on the Supernova music rave in the desert.
Gonen had been on the phone with her mother, Meirav Gonen, all morning, since the terrorists first attacked the outdoor event at 6:30 a.m.
She was in a car with friends when she told her mother at 10:15 that they had been shot and she was bleeding.
“They shot me, Mom and I’m bleeding,” Romi told her mother. “Everyone in the car is bleeding.”
When the car was later found, it was empty.
Romi’s phone was later identified as being located in Gaza, said Meirav Gonen in several media reports.
Meirav Leshem Gonen called Romi a strong, happy type, a former Scouts counselor who often went to raves and knows how to take care of herself.
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