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

A British-Israeli pistillate is acceptable to beryllium released connected Sunday having spent the past 15 months arsenic a Hamas hostage.

She volition beryllium released alongside Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, aft Hamas handed their names to woody mediators connected Sunday.

Their seizure was astatine the opening of the Israel-Hamas warfare which has been raging successful earnest for 15 months.

Here is each we cognize astir Emily Damari.

Emily Damari is the youngest of 4 siblings and was calved and raised successful Israel but has duel British citizenship arsenic her parent Mandy was calved successful Addington successful Surrey.

She visited Britain astatine slightest erstwhile per twelvemonth and referred to it arsenic her “second home,” being peculiarly fond of northbound London arsenic she is simply a large instrumentality of Tottenham Hotspur.

In her assemblage she is good known for serving up a barbecue to neighbours and besides keeps adjacent household ties, bearing a tattoo that reads “my mum is ever right”.

Emily Damari was 1 of the 251 radical that Hamas and different Palestinian militant groups abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip during their onslaught connected October 7.

She was 27 astatine the clip but has since turned 28.

Ms Damari’s parent Mandy said: “On the greeting of 7 October, Emily was successful her ain flat connected Kfar Aza, our peaceful kibbutz, but that time Hamas turned our location into a spot of terror.”

Hamas entered Ms Damari’s location successful Kibbutz Kfar Aza and took her arsenic good arsenic 64 of her neighbours.

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

During the raid, the Hamas troops changeable her canine Choocha dormant and past drove her into Gaza, wherever she has remained ever since.

British-born Mandy lives adjacent but was not captured due to the fact that her doorway jammed unopen erstwhile Hamas soldiers changeable astatine it.

Mandy did not talk astir the incidental for a twelvemonth but has been progressively raising consciousness since.

"One twelvemonth has passed and she is inactive successful hell," she told a rally successful Hyde Park past year. She has said successful further interviews that she has had nary impervious since March 2024 that her girl is live and tin lone anticipation she is successful bully health.

"I person much anticipation present than I've had successful the past 15 months," she said much recently.

"It would beryllium the astir fantastic feeling successful the satellite if she comes back, the astir fantastic feeling. But I won't judge it until I spot and consciousness it for myself."