SoCal woman's relatives among hostages freed in Gaza amid ongoing war

A Southern California woman is resting more assured following the safe return of her relatives, who were among the third round of hostages who were released Sunday.

Galia Mizrahi has been glued to her television, waiting for Israeli reports on the return of her loved ones. Thankfully, her prayers were answered Sunday when four of her family members were freed by Hamas militants under a four-day truce with Israel, who in turn released 39 Palestinian prisoners.

“That’s the back of her head!” Mizrahi is heard saying in a video that captured her reaction as she watched a Jeep carrying her relatives.

Chen Goldstein Almog, 49, is the wife of Mizrahi’s cousin. Almog, along with her three children who are ages 9, 11 and 17, were safely returned.

“We could see one of the boys and my son recognized him right away,” Mizrahi told NBC4.

According to the SoCal woman, her relatives were taken to a military base immediately upon their release. There, they underwent several evaluations and treatment.

“There’s a whole team of medical and mental health staff there to welcome them,” she said. “... And each family got like a little wing in the hospital with toys and a change of clothes.”

She explained how her relatives’ home was destroyed amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. However, the safe return of her loved ones is helping her family sleep better at night.

“It’s such a relief to see them smiling and to see them be reunited, it’s really overwhelming,” Mizrahi said. “Like, we’re all walking around with this brick on our chest for so long.”