THIS is the vile moment the three Israeli hostages were handed Hamas “gift bags” containing haunting mementos of their captivity just before they were freed.

The bags reportedly included photos of the women during their imprisonment and a so-called “certificate,” a grim reminder of their 15-month nightmare in Gaza.

The twisted spectacle was captured in a propaganda video released by Hamas on Sunday.

It showed the three terrified women – Emily Damari, 28, Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 – being mobbed by crowds as they were transferred to Red Cross officials at a central square in Gaza City.

Masked operatives with machine guns flanked the hostages, while hundreds of Palestinians gathered to watch the tense exchange.

The footage paints a chilling picture of the ordeal these women endured, with their fear evident as they climbed out of a Hamas van into Red Cross vehicles.

Emily Damari, a British-Israeli dual citizen, returned home on Sunday after enduring what her family described as a “horrendous ordeal.”

Her mum, Mandy, issued a heartfelt statement, saying: “After 471 days Emily is finally home.

“I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name.

“In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.”

The emotional toll was visible in the first image of Emily following her release—a snapshot of her grinning during a video call with her brother, her bandaged hand a stark reminder of the violence she survived.

Emily lost two fingers after being shot by Hamas during the October 7 attack on her kibbutz, Kfar Aza, where she was ambushed.

The long-awaited release comes as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds after months of relentless warfare.

The truce was nearly derailed in the final hours of negotiations, but hostages were exchanged as part of the deal, marking the first step toward a tenuous pause in hostilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear this ceasefire is temporary, emphasising: “We are committed to dismantling Hamas and bringing every hostage home.”

The reunion of the hostages with their families in southern Israel was a moment of raw emotion.

The three women hugged their mothers tightly after being handed over by Red Cross teams to Israeli Defense Forces personnel.

Comfort items, including a leopard-print blanket for Romi Gonen, were provided in IAF helicopters as part of efforts to ease their return.

But the harrowing footage of their transfer from Hamas terrorists to the Red Cross casts a dark shadow over the relief of their release.

Activists and campaigners like Max Radford, from Finchley, have called for stronger international pressure on extremist groups.

He said earlier today: “This is only the beginning. There are still 95 hostages in captivity. We cannot rest until they are all free.

“We have to stand up to Iran, we have to stand up to Hamas, we have to stand up to Hezbollah, the Houthis, and anyone else who has this jihadist ideology because it’s just not compatible with modern day civilisation.”

What happened on October 7?

ON OCTOBER 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, marking one of the darkest days in the nation’s history.

Terrorists stormed across the border from Gaza, killing over 1,200 people — most of them civilians — and kidnapping 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly.

The coordinated assault saw heavily armed fighters infiltrate Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and military bases, unleashing indiscriminate violence.

Innocent families were slaughtered in their homes, and graphic footage of the atrocities spread across social media, leaving the world in shock.

And as well as attacking people in their homes, they stormed the Nova music peace festival – killing at least 364 people there alone.

The massacre triggered a swift and massive retaliatory response from Israel, escalating into a full-scale war.

The attack not only reignited long-standing tensions in the region but also left deep scars on both sides of the conflict, setting the stage for the 15 months of devastation that followed.