A month after captivity, Romi Gonen undergoes hand surgery 

A little over a month after her release from Hamas captivity in Gaza, Romi Gonen entered an operating room in Israel on Tuesday for a long-awaited surgery on her right hand—an injury sustained during the devastating October 7, 2023, attack that upended her life. The procedure marks a pivotal moment in her ongoing recovery, addressing a wound that has gone untreated for over 16 months and left her dominant hand largely unusable.

Shortly before the surgery, Gonen, 24, took to Instagram to share a photo of herself lying on a hospital bed, her expression a mix of determination and vulnerability. “The day has actually arrived,” she wrote. “A year and four months of wanting nothing more than for my hand to be treated so I can reclaim the independence I’ve missed so desperately.” She admitted to her fears: “I’m scared of the pain, the rehabilitation, the outcome. But this time, I’m in the best hands possible, surrounded by all the people I love, and I believe the good is still ahead of me.”

Gonen’s injury dates back to the sudden assault that led to her abduction, part of a broader attack by Hamas militants that killed over 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage. Two weeks ago, her mother spoke candidly to the Israeli outlet Ynet about the toll it has taken. “Romi is right-handed, and she’s had to switch to writing with her left,” she said. “She’s been in pain, and we’re hoping so much that this surgery will bring her hand back to life. That’s where all our energy is right now.”

The surgery, performed by top medical professionals in Israel, is just the beginning of what promises to be a lengthy rehabilitation process. Yet Gonen’s thoughts extend beyond her own struggle. In her Instagram post, she reflected on the roughly 100 hostages who remain in Gaza, their fates uncertain. “There are still people there longing for what I’ve experienced in the past month,” she wrote. “They deserve to feel this freedom and support too. We have to keep fighting until the last hostage is home.”

She also expressed gratitude for the Israeli soldiers who risked their lives to secure her release and that of others, many of whom are now recovering from their own wounds. “Soon I’ll meet soldiers in the rehab ward—people who fought and put everything on the line to save me and the other hostages,” she wrote. “I want to tell you that you’re the strongest there are, and I can’t wait to meet you and give you a big, tight hug.”

Gonen concluded her post with a call for prayers, quoting a passage from the Amidah, a central Jewish prayer: “For anyone who wants to pray for the peace of the hostages, the soldiers, and also for me—a prayer for the health of body and soul: ‘Heal us, O Lord, and we shall be healed; save us, and we shall be saved, for You are our praise. Grant complete healing and remedy to all our ailments, pains, and wounds… Blessed are You, O Lord, who heals the sick of His people Israel.’”

As Gonen embarks on this next chapter, her words and actions reflect a resolve to heal not just herself, but to advocate for those still waiting to come home.