Israeli Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher have returned to Israel after more than 470 days in captivity in Gaza. Hamas celebrated the prospective release of 90 terrorists as Israel and the United States seemingly caved to terror for an inaugural Trump photo op.
This is Doron Steinbrecher at the handover in Gaza.
To the last moment they surrounded and tormented the hostages. pic.twitter.com/Gcdm3hc74O
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) January 19, 2025
Incoming White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz stated he was “relieved these three brave women are no longer suffering at the hands of Hamas terrorists in the tunnels below Gaza and are once again with their families. More to come.”
Guys, we’re about to get another 41 days of horrifying footage like this.
If we can’t use this opportunity to expose Hamas’ barbarity and systematic disinformation campaign, we’re well and truly screwed.
They’re handing us this footage on a silver platter—let’s not blow it. pic.twitter.com/bTESDFiorS
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) January 19, 2025
Speaking to NBC News, President Donald Trump said he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Just keep doing what you have to do. You have to have—this has to end. We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done”, JNS reported.
“Respect. The United States has to get respected again, and it has to get respected fast. But respect is the primary word that I use,” Trump said. “If they respect us, [the truce] will hold. If they don’t respect us, all hell will break out.”
Meanwhile thousands of Hamas supporters are jubilating in Gaza at what they see as a victory, with a deal that allows Hamas to survive, does not free all of the hostages, but frees almost 2000 hardcore killers and terrorists from multi-year sentences in Israeli jails.
Any honest observer should be able to look at the footage emerging from Gaza—featuring genocidal antisemitic chants, glorification of terrorism, the near-lynching of hostages, and a well-fed civilian population—and confront three fundamental truths:
1. Gaza is a profoundly sick… pic.twitter.com/Wdgw3m3AzW
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) January 19, 2025
Israeli-American Journalist Caroline Glick wrote that “if the U.S. wanted a deal, it could have had one that didn’t require these murderers to go free. All Washington needed to do was threaten Qatar, Egypt and Turkey — Hamas’s state sponsors — with actual sanctions for their harboring of terrorists. But no pressure whatsoever was brought to bear on Hamas or its state sponsors, only on Israel.”
Going through the list of terrorists Israel is supposed to release. 734 terrorist murderers. 2000 terrorists in all – in exchange for 33 innocent hostages, dead and alive. The names are a body blow.
I remember every single attack these animals carried out. They murdered hundreds…— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) January 18, 2025
Gateway Pundit guest contributor Avi Abelow wrote from Tel Aviv:
I’m standing here at hostage square in Tel Aviv as Israelis around the country are trying their simultaneously happy at the release of the first hostages from Gaza, while feeling extremely upset, fearful and even betrayed by this horrific ceasefire that is forcing us to pay a tremendously high price, damn many future Jews to death at their hands, and give over the impression that our Islamonazi enemies beat us.
From everything I’m hearing, despite an incoming Trump administration (Rubio, Hegseth, Huckabee, Waltz etc.) who all clearly support Israel destroying Hamas and winning this war, it seems that the person at the center of this disastrous ceasefire pressure on Israel is Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy, steering US policy right now in this wrong, immoral and dangerous direction.
Witkoff openly bragging about pressuring Prime Minister Netanyahu into this deal, as if it’s a victory. But this deal is the exact opposite—it empowers Islamonazis all over the world, sends the message that terrorism pays, weakens Israel, and directly undermines Trump’s own doctrine of “peace through strength.”
If the leaders of the America truly cared about protecting lives, saving our hostages and ending this war with the Islamonazis deterred from ever trying to accomplish anything through massacres, rapes and mass kidnappings, then they should have been pressuring Qatar and Egypt, two countries that support Hamas! Those are the pressure points to force Hamas to release our hostages unconditionally! Not pressure on Israel to release Islamonazi monsters to the public to strike again.
Hamas terrorist leading children in chants of “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Yahud” — a well-known rallying cry to murder Jews.
This is a deeply ill society.pic.twitter.com/HFNzpsxIR6
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) January 19, 2025
Despite this situation, we will prevail. We will win. We will resettle Gaza and remain there forever, because that is the only way to ensure there is never again an Islaminazi terror entity in Gaza.
And if you want to make a difference, contact your elected officials and call them to have Witkoff fired and replaced by someone who is connected with the reality of the Middle East, and aligned with Trump’s principle of “peace through strength”. Forcing Israel to appease Islamonazis will hurt Trump and his agenda.
Regardless, place your trust in Hashem above, not in any human. We got this!!!
And in the meantime, celebrate each hostage that we succeed in freeing from the captivity of our evil Islamonazi enemy.
Avi Abelow is an Israeli-American filmmaker and journalist living in Efrat, Judea.
