Romi Gonen, who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year, was released Thursday from Sheba Medical Center after five months of hospitalization and rehabilitation.
Gonen, 25, was seriously wounded during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7 and abducted to Gaza, where she remained without proper medical treatment for over a year. Since her return to Israel as part of a hostage release deal in January, she has undergone two major surgeries at Sheba and is expected to return in the coming months for a third.
“I’ve been in Israel for almost six months now, and nearly five of them I spent in the hospital,” she wrote in a message posted on social media following her discharge. “Today I’m being released and taking another step toward my freedom.”
Marking the moment with what she called a “release party,” Gonen thanked the staff at Sheba and was joined by fellow patients from the rehabilitation ward, including soldiers wounded in the war in Gaza.
In her post, Gonen reflected on the dates: she was kidnapped on Oct. 7 and discharged from the hospital on July 10. “It’s been a very hard period — pain, surgeries, falling and getting back up again,” she wrote. “Unfortunately I’m being discharged knowing that I’ll be back here soon for another operation. But I needed to feel free, to feel peace and quiet, to just do what I want.”
Gonen also expressed gratitude to the broader Israeli public, including volunteers and visitors who supported her and other recovering patients throughout their rehabilitation.
“The people of Israel were with me every moment,” she wrote. “Whether it was food deliveries, workshops, or people coming with their dogs just to make us smile — it meant so much.”
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She concluded with a message of solidarity for those still in captivity. “The hostages are still not here, and my heart is with them in Gaza,” she said. “I pray that we return to being a united people. We only have each other. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Gonen was released from Gaza in January after 471 days in captivity. She was freed in the first wave of the most recent hostage deal alongside Emily Damari and Doron Steinberger.