First Hostages Return to Israel as Palestinians Await Prisoners
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 19 January 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Doctors in Tel Aviv say the three women hostages released by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel are in a stable condition, while in the occupied West Bank, crowds have gathered outside Ofer Prison to see the first 90 Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for the 3 Israelis.
Also in the programme: On his final full day in office what will President Biden's legacy be? And we look ahead to Donald Trump’s inauguration.
(Photo: Released Romi Gonen embraces loved ones at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, after being held in Gaza since the deadly 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPO/Handout via Reuters)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service coming to you live from London. I'm James Kimmer Asami. |
| 0:12.6 | An explosion of joy in Israel today as the family of 24-year-old Romie Gonen watched footage of her release. |
| 0:20.4 | In a video released by the IDF, |
| 0:22.3 | her father can be seen jumping in the air |
| 0:24.4 | before breaking down in tears. |
| 0:26.9 | Together with 31-year-old |
| 0:28.4 | Dorie Steinbrecher and 28-year-old |
| 0:30.7 | Emily Damari, |
| 0:31.9 | she was handed over by Hamas, |
| 0:33.9 | the first three hostages |
| 0:35.5 | to be freed under the terms of a ceasefire deal, which came |
| 0:39.1 | into force today after a short delay. |
| 0:45.6 | Those were the pretty chaotic scenes in Gaza as the three women were ushered into a red cross |
| 0:51.4 | convoy before being escorted back to Israeli territory. |
| 0:55.4 | Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saluted their release. |
| 0:59.6 | To Romi, Duran, and Emily, a whole nation embraces you, |
| 1:06.8 | with congratulations on your return home. |
| 1:09.7 | I know, we all know, they have been through hell. |
| 1:13.5 | They are coming out of darkness into light. |
| 1:16.0 | They are literally coming out of slavery into freedom. |
| 1:19.8 | It's a transition that will not be easy. |
| 1:22.3 | The women, the first of 33 hostages due to be released |
... |
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