This is the emotional moment three Hamas hostages finally hugged their loved ones for the first time after being freed, with British-Israeli Emily Damari telling her mother: 'Only for you I survived.'
Emily, 28, Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were handed over to the Red Cross on Sunday after 471 days as hostages.
Their mothers watched the release on screens, waiting for the moment they would have their daughters back in their arms.
The three women ran to their mothers, either beaming in joy or sobbing in relief at finally being safe again after their horrendous time in captivity.
Emily was seen looking around corners frantically for a glimpse of her mother Mandy, who has relentlessly campaigned for her release since the 28-year-old was dragged from her home.
They then hugged as they finally reunited, with Emily telling her mother 'only for you I survived'.
Emily and Mandy then video-called her brother and family, grinning in joy and saluting with her bandaged hand.
The support staff around the three women couldn't stop smiling as they watched the heartwarming scenes.
They are the first hostages have been released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire deal. It brings an end to the traumatic 471 days being held by the terrorist group.
Emily Damari embraces her mother Mandy after being released
Romi Gonen and her mother smile as they are reunited after the ceasefire deal
Doron Steinbrecher in pictured in her mother's arms
Emily Damari arrives at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, to see her family
Emily Damari (middle) with her mother Mandy (in pink leggings) and her family
Emily, Romi and Doron - along with their mothers - were put in a helicopter and transferred to Sheba Medical Centre in Tel Aviv, where they met the rest of their families. They are said to be in good health.
They were greeted with cheers and banners, and other patients opened their windows to peer down as they arrived.
Heartwarming footage saw the three women run into the arms of their relatives, with smiles and tears on both sides.
Wrapped in an Israeli flag, Emily was seen hugging the rest of her family as she arrived at hospital.
The Tottenham Hotspur fan, who was born in Israel to a British mother and Israeli father, was injured by shrapnel when she was kidnapped.
Hamas shot off two of her fingers and killed her beloved golden cockapoo Choocha when they snatched her from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7.
Emily's mother released a statement thanking those who 'never stopped saying her name' before her release.
'I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name,' the mother said.
'In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.'
Emily Damari holds up a sign which reads in Hebrew 'the nightmare is over!' as she and released Israeli hostage Doron Steinbrecher are transported to a hospital
When the former hostages were brought to hospital, they were wrapped in hugs
Doron Steinbrecher (in pink), Romi Gonen (in black), Emily Damari (in green)
When the door to the van opened, the three former hostages looked terrified, clutching horrific 'gift bags' from Hamas and sprinted through the overwhelming crowd to safety
Emily Damari greets friends and supporters as she arrives at hospital
A heartwarming video showed her friends celebrating her release by jumping up and down and singing to music.
Emily's best friend Guy Yakobi, 29, told of his relief and excitement following an agonising wait to see if she would really be let go.
'We are really excited. All the rumours from Telegram said she was not on the list today,' he said.
'We have been through hell these last hours and days. We have had no sleep. I was really nervous. I have been awake all last night because of the delay from Hamas in giving the names.
'We still need to process that she is coming back home, after these 15 months of hell.
'We will cry together here. We have invited all Emily's best friends in the kibbutz, we are going to watch the news together.'
Revealing how he met her, he said: 'I moved to Kfar Aza in the 6th grade. My parents were the nearest house to her, that's how our friendship began.
'Emily is the best friend ever. If you want a friend who will do everything for you, if you need a friend who will be there just for you - this is Emily.
'Emily will go out of her way just to make her friends happy and she is really the best human I know.'
A drone view shows crowds as Palestinian Hamas militants prepared for the handover
When their vehicle arrived, the poor women were confronted with hundreds of militants surrounding the van and shouting, pounding on the doors and windows
The 28-year-old broke her silence to say she is the 'happiest person in the world' since being freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
'Love, love, love. Thank God. Thank you to my family, to Orali, to the best friends I have in this world,' she said in a post on Instagram. 'I returned to my beloved life.'
'I only managed to see a glimpse of everything and you broke my heart with excitement. Thank you thank you the happiest person in the world just to be.'
At the end of her post she added a 'rock on' emoji, symbolising the two fingers she lost when she was shot by Hamas during their October 7 assault.
The brave young woman's defiant hand gesture upon her release has already become a symbol, and one well-wisher has even had it tattooed onto his calf.
In an inspirational video posted to X/Twitter, Jewish author Hen Mazzig showed a clip of a person getting tattooed, just a day after Damari was released from 470 days in captivity.
The clip pans from the man's leg to an iPad screen depicting the outline of his new tattoo - Damari's raised bandaged hand showing her two missing fingers.
He captioned the post: 'Emily Damari is officially an icon of resilience in Israel'.
Fellow former hostage Romi - who was snatched from the Nova music festival - was wrapped in a group hug by her family members and Doron sobbed as she embraced her relatives in the halls of the hospital.
Doron's family issued a statement through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.
Doron Steinbracher with her mother Simone, hugging after her release
Emily cheerfully waves her bandaged hand as she video-called relatives with her mother
Wrapped in an Israeli flag, Emily leapt into the arms of her family at the hospital
'After an unbearable 471 days, our beloved Dodo has finally returned to our arms. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and accompanied us along this journey.
'A special thank you to the people of Israel for their warm embrace, unwavering support, and the strength they gave us during our darkest moments. We also extend our gratitude to President Trump for his significant involvement and support, which meant so much to us.
'Our heroic Dodo, who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, begins her rehabilitation journey today. We will continue to stand with all the families and do everything in our power until all of their loved ones return home.'
The three former hostages were horrifically forced to wear Palestinian flag lanyards and were given 'gift bags' with mementos of their horrifying time in captivity.
A sick propaganda video released by Hamas showed the three women bundled into a van, beaming because they were finally being freed and would soon see their families again.
They had lanyards hung around their necks, decorated with text reading 'Palestine' and the flag printed alongside.
Their smiles instantly dropped as they were handed brown paper bags with the Hamas logo printed on the side, and forced to hold them up and pose for the camera.
When their vehicle arrived, the poor women were confronted with hundreds of militants surrounding the van and shouting, pounding on the doors and windows.
Some even clambered up on the roof.
Members of the Israeli security and medical personnel transport the three hostages upon their arrival at Sheba Tel HaShomer Medical Centre
People gathered to watch the military helicopter carrying three Israeli female hostages
People react as they watch news coverage of the release of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damar
When the door to the van opened, the three former hostages looked terrified, clutching their 'gift bags' and sprinted through the overwhelming crowd to safety.
The bags reportedly continued photos of the women in captivity and a 'certificate'.
The truce had been delayed when the terrorist group failed to hand over the list of names 24 hours ahead of time as stated as part of the agreement.
Hamas blamed the delay on bringing a pause of 15 months of war on a 'technical' issue.
The Israeli military continued to carry out airstrikes in northern and central Gaza until the list was handed over, killing at least eight Palestinians, the Palestinian civil emergency service said.
The ceasefire began at 11.15am local time, nearly three hours after the initial agreement, with displaced Palestinians seen walking through rubble as they returned to their homes.
Hamas militants brazenly emerged from hiding to celebrate the new ceasefire with Israel, shamelessly parading through the streets of Gaza while brandishing AK-47s and waving the group's green flags.
Startling images showed masked fighters in camouflage and balaclavas, some standing on vehicles, others marching defiantly through towns that have been reduced to rubble after months of intense fighting.
