Who are the three Israeli hostages who were released?

A daughter described as being “at her happiest when she's dancing” will be among the three Israeli women scheduled to be released after 471 days as Hamas hostages.

Romy Gonen, 24, was among those captured by the armed group as she tried to escape the Nova Festival during the October 7, 2023 attack.

She is expected to be released alongside Doron Steinbrecher, 31, a veterinary nurse, and Emily Damari, 28, who holds dual British-Israeli citizenship.

Their release forms part of the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas, as the delay in Israel obtaining the three names, which Hamas blamed on “technical reasons on the ground,” delayed the ceasefire by about three hours.

Romi had traveled from her home in Kfar Verdim, northern Israel, to attend the Nova Festival.

The Forum for Hostages and Missing Families, which represents her family, said she had gone “to do what she loved, to dance” – something she studied for 12 years, starring in solo shows and becoming an “amazing choreographer”.

When sirens sounded for the Hamas attack, Romi called her family. Her mother, Merav, recalled hearing gunshots and screaming in Arabic during the last call to her daughter.

Romi was ambushed by Hamas fighters while trying to flee the festival.

A video posted by the Families Forum last November described her as “the girl with the biggest smile, the brightest light, and the greatest friend.”

Doron, a 31-year-old veterinary nurse, was kidnapped from her apartment on Kibbutz Kfar Azza when Hamas attacked her.

In May last year, her sister Yamit Ashkenazi wrote an emotional letter through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, calling her a “ray of sunshine.”

“I hope you feel the energy we are sending you,” the message read.

“I hope you know, at least, some of the battle we're fighting here for your release. I hope you feel it all. I love you, I miss you, I'm heartbroken, and yet I'm still fighting for you.”

In a previous post, Doron was described as “the glue that holds together all her friends, sensitive and funny, always smiling and the first to help.”

She studied theater and film at school, and her love of animals grew which led to her becoming a veterinary nurse.

Speaking to the BBC in November 2023, Doron's sister, Yamit, spoke about a new tattoo. It read: “Like the sun we will rise again,” but some of the sun’s rays are missing.

“They will be added when she gets home,” she added.

Emily, a 28-year-old who holds dual British and Israeli citizenship, was also taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Azza during the October 7 attack.

As news of her release arrived on Sunday. A source close to her family said That it had been “471 torturous days but it was a particularly torturous 24 hours.”

“All Emily's mum Mandy wants to do is hug Emily. But she won't believe it until she sees it,” the source said.

Emily has strong links with the UK – she is a Tottenham Hotspur fan and would often visit to see her relatives, attend concerts, go shopping and visit the pub here.

Her mother, Mandy Damari, previously told the BBC that Emily is “the core of our family and the core is missing.”

“I love her to the moon and back, she's a special person,” she added.