JERUSALEM: Palestinian group Hamas released three Israeli female hostages on Sunday as part of the first phase of its ceasefire deal with Israel.

Israel confirmed the names of the three women after they were handed over to the Israeli military in Gaza by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The three are now inside Israeli territory, Israel said.

ROMI GONEN

Gonen, 24, a dancer, was abducted by Hamas gunmen from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023. Gonen spent hours hiding from the gunmen with several friends before being shot in the hand. She was on the phone with her family when they heard her say "I am going to die, today". The last thing they heard the attackers saying, in Arabic, was "she's alive, let's take her". Her phone was later traced to a location in the Gaza Strip.

DORON STEINBRECHER

Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse was seized from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities worst hit in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. A few hours after the attack began she phoned her parents to say she was scared and that the gunmen had arrived at her building. She then sent a voice message to her friends saying "They've arrived, they have me".

EMILY DAMARI

Damari, 28, is a British-Israeli who was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. She grew up in London and is a fan of the Tottenham Hotspur soccer team. According to her mother, she was shot in the hand, injured by shrapnel in her leg, blindfolded, bundled into the back of her own car, and driven to Gaza.