Emily Damari, due to be released on Sunday after more than 15 months in captivity in the Gaza Strip, is a 28-year-old British-Israeli whose mother campaigned tirelessly for her not to be forgotten, including among authorities in London.
Emily is the only surviving British hostage held by Hamas, and Hamas confirmed on Sunday that she was among the first three Israeli hostages to be released under the ceasefire that came into effect on Sunday.
Born to a British mother and an Israeli father, she grew up in Kibbutz Kfar Aza where she was kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7, 2023.
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Described by her mother Mandy as “optimistic” and “charismatic”, the young woman is a fan of Ed Sheeran and the Tottenham football club, Spurs, whose supporters regularly chanted her name during her captivity and released balloons yellows in the stadium in his honor.
-“She’s one of us, she’s one of us, Emily Damari, take her home,” became a chant echoed by fans.
Before her kidnapping, this young woman with long, curly black hair regularly traveled to Great Britain, where she enjoyed attending Spurs matches. A photo shows her at the stadium, proudly wearing a club scarf.
During the Hamas assault on Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel, the young woman was shot in the hand and leg. Her dog Choocha was shot, according to her mother.
The latter campaigned tirelessly for the release of her daughter, and repeatedly urged the British government to do more to secure her release.
