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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
William Mata

Who is Emily Damari and how was she captured? British-Israeli woman freed from Hamas at last

A British-Israeli woman was released on Sunday having spent the past 15 months as a Hamas hostage.

Emily Damari, 28, was abducted from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel on October 7, 2023, but has now reunited with her mother as part of a ceasefire negotiation deal.

She was released alongside Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, after Hamas handed their names to deal mediators on Sunday. Their capture was at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war which has been raging in earnest for 15 months.

In an Instagram post on Monday morning Ms Damari, who lost two fingers in Hamas’s assault, thanked her friends and family for their support.

“Love, love, love,” she wrote. “I have returned to my beloved life.”

She added: “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m the happiest in the world just to be.”

Here is all we know about Emily Damari.

Undated family handout photo of British hostage in Gaza Emily Damari. (Family handout/PA Wire)

Who is Emily Damari?

Emily Damari is the youngest of four siblings and was born and raised in Israel but has duel British citizenship as her mother Mandy was born in Addington in Surrey.

She visited Britain at least once per year and referred to it as her “second home,” being particularly fond of north London as she is a big fan of Tottenham Hotspur.

On Wednesday, Spurs and Arsenal fans came together to raise awareness of her capture in a rare moment of solidarity between the rival clubs.

In her community she is well known for serving up a barbecue to neighbours and also keeps close family ties, bearing a tattoo that reads “my mum is always right”.

Ms Damari has been held hostage for more than a year (AP)

How was Emily Damari captured?

Emily Damari was one of the 251 people that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip during their attack on October 7.

She was 27 at the time but has since turned 28.

Ms Damari’s mother Mandy said: “On the morning of 7 October, Emily was in her own apartment on Kfar Aza, our peaceful kibbutz, but that day Hamas turned our home into a place of terror.”

Hamas entered Ms Damari’s home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and took her as well as 64 of her neighbours.

Mandy said the 28-year-old was “shot in the hand, injured by shrapnel in her leg, blindfolded, and bundled into the back of her own car".

During the raid, the Hamas troops shot her dog Choocha dead and then drove her into Gaza, where she has remained ever since.

British-born Mandy lives nearby but was not captured because her door jammed shut when Hamas soldiers shot at it.

Emily and her mother Mandy Damari (Family handout/PA Wire)

What has happened since the capture?

Mandy did not speak about the incident for a year but has been increasingly raising awareness since.

"One year has passed and she is still in hell," she told a rally in Hyde Park last year. She has said in further interviews that she has had no proof since March 2024 that her daughter is alive and can only hope she is in good health.

"I have more hope now than I've had in the last 15 months," she said more recently.

"It would be the most wonderful feeling in the world if she comes back, the most wonderful feeling. But I won't believe it until I see and feel it for myself."

She has now reunited with her mother

Mandy and Emily Damari were pictured in an emotional embrace after reuniting.

Emily is now set to see doctors for treatment and was pictured with a bandage on her hand, having lost two fingers during the ordeal.

In a statement, Mandy said: “Yesterday, I was finally able to give Emily the hug that I have been dreaming of.

“From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank the many people who have played a role in bringing Emily home and given their support to me and my family. As I said over the course of the campaign, you are all Emily’s family.

“I am relieved to report that after her release, Emily is doing much better than any of us could ever have anticipated. I am also happy that during her release the world was given a glimpse of her feisty and charismatic personality.

“In Emily’s own words, she is the happiest girl in the world; she has her life back.

“In this incredibly happy moment for our family, we must also remember that 94 other hostages still remain. The ceasefire must continue and every last hostage must be returned to their families.”

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