After more than 15 months of unimaginable suffering, Emily Damari, 28, was finally freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza on Sunday evening. The emotional moment came after 471 harrowing days in which she was taken during the brutal Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Emily was released alongside fellow hostages Doron Steinbrecher and Romi Gonen, as part of a ceasefire negotiation deal.
Her mother, Mandy Damari, was one of the first to embrace Emily at an IDF reception center near the Re’im crossing, where families waited anxiously for their loved ones to cross into Israeli territory. The video of their reunion was nothing short of emotional. Despite her injuries, Emily could be seen smiling, holding her mother’s hand. In another heart-wrenching image, Emily raised her bandaged hand in a victory sign, though it was clear she had lost two fingers during the ordeal.
Emily’s story began when she was abducted from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where she had been sheltering with neighbors in a safe room. During the attack, Hamas militants shot her in the hand and killed her dog, Choocha. The trauma of her captivity left her hand severely injured, and it’s likely that the loss of two fingers was a consequence of the wounds sustained during her abduction.
Emily, a dual Israeli-British citizen, expressed her deep gratitude for her release. Through her mother, she thanked everyone who fought relentlessly for her freedom: “I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name,” Mandy shared in a statement. While Emily’s nightmare had ended, Mandy’s message highlighted the ongoing pain for other families still waiting for their loved ones to return home.
The Damari family’s painful journey was marked by harrowing moments, such as when Mandy narrowly escaped the attack after a bullet jammed her door during the assault. Despite the trauma, both mother and daughter remained hopeful, and their resilience never wavered. While Emily‘s release offers some solace, the fight for the remaining hostages continues.
As dozens of supporters gathered outside the Re’im base entrance, welcoming Emily with signs like “Our Emily, welcome home. Our hero!” the Damari family’s quiet plea for privacy resonated. The journey back to normalcy will take time, but for now, Emily’s return home is a beacon of hope for many.
ALSO READ: Who Is Emily Damari? British-Israeli Woman Held By Hamas, Now Set To Be Released After 15 Months
