We can breathe a little more again.” Israelis rejoice at release of hostages
Israelis were elated following the release of three hostages from Gaza on Sunday, saying it almost feels unreal after so many months of waiting.
“It’s a very emotional moment,” Tania Coen-Uzzielli, director of Tel Aviv Museum of Art, told CNN from Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. “We were waiting for this moment since the last release which was more than one year ago.”
Coen-Uzzielli said she could feel “the pulse” of the plaza every day, as it is located right next to her museum. Hostages Square saw many Israelis gather in solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza every day.
“Everybody is crying,” she said.
Mai, another woman, who declined to give a second name, said, “We can breathe a little more again” after months of waiting. “And we are going to be here until the very last one comes back.”
However, Mai cautioned, “We don’t know what it means about what they went through and how they are physically and mentally,” adding that “they are three incredibly strong women.”
Coen-Uzzielli, the museum director, hopes this can be “the start of a new period,” which may one day end the war with Hamas.
“I really hope that an international force will influence the ultimate decision to continue the release of the hostages and to stop this tragic war,” she said.
