Hugs that say ‘our hostage hell is over’… but families fear loved ones will struggle to recover after 7 nightmare weeks at hands of terrorists

After a seven-week nightmare in which they feared they may never see their loved ones again, 13 Israeli hostages were finally reunited with their families yesterday.

There were emotional scenes at hospitals in Tel Aviv as young children sprinted towards their parents and grandparents – 49 days after they were snatched by Hamas terrorists in the October 7 attacks.

‘I dreamed that we went home,’ said little Raz Asher, four, sitting on the lap of her relieved father Yoni.

His voice quivering, he softly replied: ‘Did you dream that you went home? Here the dream has come true. We are home, we are going to our house soon. We are coming home soon.’

Hamas terrorists took Raz along with her two-year-old sister Aviv and their mother Doron from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel last month, in a terror attack that saw 1,200 Israelis murdered and 240 taken hostage.

Aviv Asher, 2,5-year-old, her sister Raz Asher, 4,5-year-old, and mother Doron, react as they meet with Yoni, Raz and Aviv’s father and Doron’s husband, after they returned to Israel to the designated complex at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center, during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Petah Tikva, Israel, in this handout picture released on November 25, 2023

Ohad Munder, 9-year-old, reacts as he meets with his family members after he returned to Israel to the designated complex at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center, during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Petah Tikva, Israel

Ohad being abducted by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack

Yesterday the Asher family cuddled each other on a hospital bed at Schneider Children’s Hospital after they were released in the first group of hostages as part of a four-day ceasefire. Doctors said the hostages appeared in good physical health but would need a long period of psychological therapy.

Yoni, 37, said: ‘I am determined to help my family recover from the terrible trauma and loss we went through, for the future of the girls and Doron. Complex days are still ahead of me. I am happy that I got my family back but I don’t celebrate.

‘I won’t celebrate until the last of the hostages returns.’

Last night Hamas cruelly delayed a second hostage release for hours. But after Israel threatened to restart military strikes, the terror group eventually handed over a further 13 Israelis to the Red Cross in Gaza.

Earlier, tear-jerking footage showed the moment nine-year-old Ohad Munder broke into a sprint and ran into the grateful arms of his father, who scooped him up in a big hug.

Ohad had previously been seen in the clutches of a Hamas terrorist late on Friday in footage of the hostage handover. The boy had spent his ninth birthday in captivity with his mother Keren Munder, 54, and grandmother Ruthi, 78. A cousin, Itay Raviv, 27, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We are just so delighted they are all back with us. But we still have one more family member and 200 hostages out in Gaza. All the families need to be as happy as we are at the moment.’

Itay, who was due to meet up with his relatives at the hospital last night, said: ‘I spoke to them briefly on the phone. They sound OK but they have been through an immense trauma. That trauma will take some time to recover. The reality is their lives have been destroyed. They were disconnected from everything for nearly 50 days. They just need time to get their lives back together, I’ve seen a picture of Ohad playing with a Rubik’s cube and he loves playing with that.

‘He just needs some normality now. It will be a long period of recovery for them – how does a nine-year-old come back from this hell?’

Emilia Aloni, five, freed with her mother Danielle, 44, pictured hugging her grandmother

Daniele Aloni embracing members of her family upon her release by Hamas and arrival in Israel

Danielle was seen in a Hamas propaganda video screaming at Israeli authorities to arrange their release

Emilia Aloni, five, freed with her mother Danielle, 44, was pictured hugging her grandmother. Danielle was seen in a Hamas propaganda video screaming at Israeli authorities to arrange their release.

Her cousin Alana Zeitchik said: ‘I feel there is some light; my heart is screaming. We are crying and crying. To see them returning is indescribable. It’s also bittersweet, partly because we are still waiting for four more family members to return and also because we know how much trauma they are carrying.’

Last night, Professor Silvana Fennig, director of the department of psychological medicine at Schneider Hospital, said: ‘Teams of psychologists and psychiatrists are ready for them and we are also ready to help the families. The children and the adults are in a good and stable physical condition, but it is too early to say more about the emotional state of the children.’

The Israeli captives were released, along with ten Thai nationals and one Filipino, in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners. They were women and teenage boys held for rioting and other crimes in the West Bank. Last night, it emerged one of the freed women prisoners had stabbed an Israeli border guard in 2015.

Additional reporting: Sabrina Miller

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