A British-Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas for 471 days, has undergone surgery for injuries sustained during the 7 October attacks.
Emily Damari’s mother, Mandy, revealed her daughter had been “sewn up like a pin cushion” by Hamas, leaving Emily in significant pain both in her hand and leg.
Ms Damari was taken from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on the morning of Hamas’s attack on Israel in 2023 and shot in the hand, blindfolded and forced into her own car with two other friends, her family previously said.
The 29-year-old, who the militant group held for 15 months, said the injuries caused her to lose two fingers and she also sustained injuries to her leg that have impaired her movement.
She has now undergone a series of complex operations on her hand and leg to repair damage caused by the attack and her time in captivity.
Speaking from Sheba Medical Centre in Israel before her operations, Ms Damari said: “I have fully embraced my hand, my pain, and my scars. To me they represent freedom, hope and strength.”
She said her hand will never fully recover and described the “intense pain” she suffered for a year-and-a-half following an operation in Gaza.
“After my recuperation, with the help of physiotherapy, I hope to be able to use my hand much more effectively than was previously possible, before the surgery,” she added.
Hamas kept Ms Damari in its network of underground tunnels, with no sanitation or access to clean water for long periods of time, she said.
“It was shocking but not surprising to see how emaciated some of the other hostages were when they came out. Hamas has created hell on Earth, the conditions down there are unimaginable,” she added.
Her mother added: “It is nothing short of a miracle that she did not contract a life-threatening infection.”
Ms Damari was released on 19 January and was one of the first three hostages to be freed when the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was struck.
Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were also freed.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said her release was “wonderful and long-overdue news”, and spoke to Ms Damari and her mother over the phone.
Ms Damari said she is “excited” to come to Britain, and she has been invited by Sir Keir to No 10.
“I have so many people that I want to thank personally for helping me get my life back,” she said.
