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Israeli father says even in Hamas captivity, his daughter heard his pleas to come home alive

Related Topics: HAMAS CV

Eitan Gonen, whose daughter Romi was abducted by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, poses for a portrait in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — For more than 470 days, Eitan Gonen publicly pleaded with his daughter to stay alive while in Hamas captivity. He didn't know if she would hear him, but he ended every interview he gave with the same hopeful message: Romi is coming home alive.

When he finally got to speak to his daughter for the first time in 15 months after she and two other women were freed Jan.