Over a week after she was released from Hamas captivity, Romi Gonen’s father, Eitan, spoke to Ynet about his feelings since Romi’s release.

“Romi is amazing, wonderful, and inspiring,” he said. “We just look at her and we are in complete shock at what we see.”

Eitan added that during Romi’s long captivity, “I ended every interview with three words: that Romi would come back alive [רומי חוזרת בחיים]. I said this thousands of times in the hope she would hear it at least once, and she heard it. When she saw me, the first thing she said was: ‘Abba, I came back alive.’ That was the most important thing she had to tell me in her first sentence, after 471 days of not speaking. That means that all the interviews we did on television and radio somehow also succeeded in reaching Gaza.”

“I feel a crazy euphoria; we waited so long for this day, to feel her, to talk to her, to hug her, just like in the pictures. I can get emotional over and over again when I see this video, it’s the culmination of our dreams.”

Regarding the long captivity period, Itai clarified that “already on Sunday, while consulting with psychologists, we handed over the reins to Romy. We told her that we didn’t want to burden her or cause her discomfort. We wouldn’t ask questions; we would let her express things in her own way. If she wanted us to hug her, we would hug her. If she wanted us to sit or stand aside, that’s what we would do – and it works. The moment she feels a little closed off, she says ‘Give me space’ and we give her space. The moment she says ‘Gather around me,’ we gather.”

Eitan shared that the family members were surprised by Romy’s physical condition. “We were very concerned about her right side, where she was injured. We had no idea what she ate, whether she ate, or if she got sick. But I know Romy’s noble spirit; she is the sunshine of the family. I wanted the sunshine to return, to not be harmed. Our sun has returned to shine, without a shadow of a doubt.”

He spoke about the bond that formed between Romi and her fellow hostages, especially Emily Damari. “Her friendship with Emily has become like blood ties. She met her in captivity and something formed there. I stand aside and say wow, we have another family member.”

“They were each other’s entire world during their captivity. They talked, helped, and took care of each other, like a mother, like a father, like a sister, and since they returned to the country, they do everything together. They eat together, go here and there, and talk in each other’s rooms. We also got to know the wonderful families, the families of Emily and also of Doron Steinbrecher.  We look from the side and see three superheroes.”

“On the first day Romi returned, I think most of her language was Arabic, and she didn’t even notice. She spoke Arabic nonstop for over 400 days; she learned that the terrorists, yimach shemam, didn’t speak Hebrew or English. So in the toolbox she developed for herself, she learned to make conversation, make requests; she needed to get permission for everything she wanted to do – to stand, to speak, to go right, to go left. So how do you do that? Only by learning their language. So yes – that’s one of the anecdotes maybe, that suddenly I have a girl who speaks Arabic.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)