‘I just want to hug her’: Family of British-Israeli hostage on news she will be released

It has been 471 days since Emily Damari was shot in the hand and dragged into Gaza from her home in southern Israel.

The British-Israeli national was also injured by shrapnel and saw her dog Choocha shot and killed on 7 October.

She has now been named by Hamas as being among the first hostages it plans to release as part of the long-awaited ceasefire deal agreed with Israel.

After being told Emily was among the first hostages set to be released, a source close to the Damari family said it had been a “torturous 471 days but a particularly torturous 24 hours”.

“All Emily’s mum Mandy wants to do is hug Emily. But she won’t believe it until she sees it,” the source said.

They added: “Until she’s out and Mandy can actually see that she’s out. It hasn’t happened until it happens. It’s not done until it’s done. And there’s a long road ahead.

“They’ve no idea what condition they are in and there are other hostages who need to be released and need humanitarian aid to be kept alive. It’s a long, long road ahead.”

For Mandy Damari the last 15 months have been excruciating.

On Friday, Mrs Damari lit the Shabbat candles to mark the start of the Jewish sabbath.

Behind the candles a picture of her daughter with a British flag at the side of the picture.

Her prayers: that this would be the last Shabbat Emily would be held as a hostage.

Across the world, particularly in British homes, candles have been lit on a Friday night with pictures of Emily or other hostages alongside them with prayers for her release.

In an interview with BBC News last month, Mrs Damari explained how other hostages who were released in November 2023 had seen 28-year-old Emily.

“Some of them had met her in captivity. One family at the beginning and one family at the end. And she they told me that, basically, she was OK except for the gunshot wounds. She was still sane, and she was being Emily,” she said.

“She was really brave there, and she thought she was going to come home. She thought she was going to be released in that ceasefire, because the women were supposed to be released after that. And someone said, ‘Do you want me to take something for you?’ And she said ‘No, no, I’m going to come back tomorrow.’ And then she wasn’t.”

Her family was told in March 2024 she was still alive but received no information about her condition. Until Sunday, there had been nothing.

In December, Mrs Damari told the BBC how concerned she was about the conditions her daughter was facing.

“She could be starving or dehydrated or suffering from asthma because you can’t breathe in the tunnels,” she said.

“If she’s alone, even if no-one touches her, she’s still suffering mental and physical torture all the time, just by the fact that she’s in a terrible terror tunnel, and I worry every day, I worry every second because in the next second she could be murdered.”

Mrs Damari has been dignified and determined. She has never wanted the limelight but has travelled the world and appeared at rallies and met politicians to campaign for her daughter’s release.

Mrs Damari initially did not speak publicly about her daughter because she said she trusted the governments and negotiators to get her released.

But she went on to feel frustrated by the British government and by the failure of the international community to secure a quicker release for her daughter, to get any humanitarian aid to her, or to be able to ascertain if her daughter was even still alive.

Both mother and daughter were in their separate homes on Kibbutz Kfar Aza when the Hamas gunmen attacked on the morning of 7 October 2023.

As Mandy hid in the safe room she was saved by the fact a bullet hit the handle making it impossible for the attackers to open the door.

Meanwhile, Emily was being dragged off into Gaza.

Emily has strong connections with the UK. She is a Tottenham Hotspur fan and would often visit Britain to see her relatives, to attend concerts, and go shopping and visit the pub here.

Fans at Spurs’ matches have released yellow balloons and chanted for her release.

She has also missed precious moments. On her release Emily will discover that her British grandfather, who she used to regularly visit, died while she was in captivity.

Mrs Damari said: “My husband has Alzheimer’s, and she always makes sure that I’m okay and he’s okay and she visits him in his care home. She’s the core of our family and the core is missing. It’s like a piece of my heart isn’t there.”

The last time Mandy Damari heard from her daughter was on 7 October.

As their kibbutz was attacked, Emily sent a text message containing a single heart emoji.

Now the Damari family hope their hearts will heal.

They will still mourn for the many neighbours and friends who were murdered and demand all the hostages are released.

But they will hope to do this with Emily back with them, after a brutal separation.

They just want her home.

“I love her to the moon and back, she is a special person,” Mrs Damari said.

“It sounds like a cliche, but she is the best daughter I could possibly ask for.”