Hamas presented 'gift bags' to released hostages

When Hamas's military wing released a video showing the freeing of three Israeli hostages, an unexpected detail caught attention. Romi Gonen, Doron Steinhrecher, and Emily Damari, as they were leaving Gaza in a Red Cross vehicle, received paper bags with the 'al-Qassam Brigades' logo from a Hamas fighter. These bags, symbolically presented as 'gifts', accompanied their release moment, reports NewsBox.

The family of one of the hostages, Romi Gonen, shared with CNN that the 'gift' contained a certificate, a necklace, and photographs. However, the contents were seized by the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) for analysis. Israeli media clarified that the photos depicted the women's lives in captivity, yet the specifics of the images were not disclosed.

The handover of the hostages to the Red Cross included the signing of an official document in Arabic. The text confirmed that representatives of the International Red Cross Committee received three Israeli captives from the 'Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades'. The document also mentioned their names.

This episode served as another reminder of the complex humanitarian and political situation in the region, where even acts of liberation are accompanied by symbolic actions and propagandistic elements.