Scenes of elation as hostages released, but the path ahead is uncertain

Soon after her release from more than 470 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip, Emily Damari entered Sheba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv, wrapped in a large Israeli flag and smiling, video footage showed.

- Isabel Kershner The New York Times

In a photograph released by the Israeli military, the 28-year-old flashed a kind of V-sign with a bandaged left hand — a "rock on" hand gesture made up of her index and little fingers because she lost the others to a gunshot wound in the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

And on Monday morning, Damari posted on Instagram thanking God, her family and friends, and saying, "I have returned to life" and was "the happiest person in the world."

Damari was freed Sunday along with Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, all of them kidnapped during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed.

Video released by the Israeli military showed the three hostages being reunited with their families in emotional scenes, and Israeli news anchors openly expressed their relief as the first images emerged from Gaza and they were seen entering a Red Cross vehicle unaided.