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Romi Gonen, 24, from Kfar Vradim, is one of the first three hostages to be released today (Sunday) as part of the deal. Romi was abducted from the Nova Festival in Re’im on Oct. 7, 2023. She was injured from a gunshot wound to her arm after attempting to escape with her close friend, Gaia Halifa.
Her brother, Shachar, posted an Instagram story announcing the news.
In her final moments before the abduction, Romi spoke with her mother, Merav, on the phone. “Mom, they shot me, I’m bleeding, everyone in the car is bleeding. They shot at the car and we can’t move it,” she said in their last conversation.
Three of her friends who were with her in the car were murdered – her close friend Gaia Halifa, Ben Shimoni who went back three times to save people, and Ophir Tzarfati, whose body was abducted to Gaza.
Romi, a waitress at the Chez Vivie restaurant in Tel Aviv, is one of five siblings – Yarden, Shachar, Daria, and Adam. Her family describes her as especially happy and cheerful, loves to dance, hang out with friends, and travel around the world.
On Aug. 18, while in captivity, she celebrated her 24th birthday. Her family and friends held a birthday event for her in Jaffa, where many arrived wearing leopard-print shirts, her favorite pattern.
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