After 471 days of anguish, Mandy Damari has finally given her daughter, released hostage Emily Damari “the hug I have been dreaming of”.
Emily, a 28-year-old British national, was freed alongside Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Romi Gonen, 24, during the delayed initial stage of a six-week hostage-ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which began on Sunday.
Emily was shot and kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on the morning of 7 October 2023. Her last message was around 10am, when she wrote that terrorists were in her neighbourhood.
Reunited: The former hostages with their families.
Pictures shared globally across social media on Sunday evening showed Emily on a video call with her family after reuniting with her mother at an IDF facility near the Gaza border. Her left hand is bandaged; two fingers missing.
Mum Mandy said: “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.
Screenshot: Mandy Damari, Twitter/X
“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. As wonderful as it is to see Emily’s resilience, these are still early days. As you will have seen yesterday, Emily lost two of the fingers on her left hand. She now needs time with her loved ones and her doctors as she begins her road to recovery.
“Neither Emily, myself or other members of our family will be giving interviews or further comments in the immediate future, and we appreciate being given space and privacy to heal at this time.”
Screenshot: Instagram
In her first Instagram post, Emily wrote: “Love, love, love! I thank God, I thank my family, Oralie, and the best friends in this world. I have returned to my life, my loves. I have only seen a small bit and my heart is already exploding from excitement. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m the happiest in the world just to be here.”
Family friend Emily Cohen told Sky News it was an “absolute dream come true” to see Emily released, adding that Emily Damari was doing “really, really well” and in a “much better condition” than her family had anticipated, calling her “a feisty, lioness fighter, all the way through, maintaining her incredible sense of humour and beautiful spirit.”
The three released women are expected to remain at Tel Hashomer Hospital for several days for assessment and initial recovery.
The next hostage release is due to take place on Saturday.
