Who are the three Israeli hostages being released?

A daughter described as “happiest when she dances” will be among three Israeli women to be freed after 471 days of being held hostage by Hamas.

Romi Gonen, 24, was among those captured by the gunmen as she tried to escape the Nova festival during the attack on October 7, 2023.

She is expected to be released along with Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse, and Emily Damari, 28, who has dual British-Israeli citizenship.

Their release is part of the first phase of a deal between Israel and Hamas – a delay in receiving the three names from Israel, which Hamas blamed on “technical field reasons”, delayed the ceasefire by nearly three hours.

Romy had traveled from her home in Kfar Veradim, in northern Israel, for the Nova festival.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which represents her family, said she had gone “to do what she loved, dance” – something she studied for 12 years, taking part in solo acts and becoming “an amazing choreographer “.

As sirens blared as the Hamas attack unfolded, Romi called his family. Her mother Meirav remembers hearing gunshots and shouting in Arabic in the last conversation with her daughter.

Romi was attacked by Hamas fighters while trying to escape the festival.

A video posted by the family forum last November described her as “the girl with the biggest smile, the brightest light, the best friend.”

Doron, a 31-year-old veterinary nurse, was abducted from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Azza when Hamas attacked.

In May last year, her sister Yamit Ashkenazi wrote an emotional letter through the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, calling her “my sunshine”.

“I wish you could feel the energy we send you,” it read.

“I want you to be aware of at least part of the battle we are fighting here for your release. I wish you could feel it all. I love you, I miss you, heartbroken, but I’m still fighting for you.’

And in an earlier post, Doron was described as “the glue that binds all her friends together, sensitive and funny, always smiling and the first to offer help.”

She studied theater and film at school and developed a love for animals, which led her to become a veterinary nurse.

Speaking to the BBC in November 2023, Doron’s sister Yamit spoke about a new tattoo. It read, “Like the sun we will rise again,” but some of the sun’s rays were missing.

“They will be added when she gets home,” she added.

Emily, 28, who has dual British-Israeli citizenship, was also taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Azza during the October 7 attack.

As news of her release came on Sunday, said a source close to her family that it had been “an agonizing 471 days, but an especially agonizing 24 hours”.

“All Emily’s mother Mandy wants to do is hold Emily. But she won’t believe it until she sees it,” the source said.

Emily has strong ties to the UK – she is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur and often visits to see relatives, attend concerts, shop and pub here.

Her mother, Mandy Damari, previously told the BBC that Emily was “the core of our family and the core is missing”.

“I love her to the moon and back, she’s a special person,” she added.