Emily Damari, a 28-year-old British-Israeli, found freedom this Sunday evening after 471 days of captivity in Gaza, just like Doron Steinbrecher and Romi Gonen. A particularly moving reunion took place at the Reim terminal, where his mother Mandy was waiting for him.
The first images of this reunion show a smiling Emily during a video call with her family, despite the visible aftereffects of her captivity. The young woman appears with a bandaged hand, testimony to the injuries suffered during her kidnapping on October 7, 2023 in Kfar Azza, where she was shot which cost her two fingers. Other photos released by the IDF also show the reunion of Emily Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher with their mothers.
In a message broadcast by the BBC, Mandy, Emily’s mother, expressed her gratitude to the British government: “I thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily, who never stopped speaking out name, in Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States and around the world.” Emily had been kidnapped from her home. On the day of her kidnapping, she sent a last selfie with Gali Berman, also kidnapped with her twin brother Ziv. His mother Mandy had narrowly escaped the terrorists, who had failed to force the door to her hideout.
-In front of the Reim base, a crowd of support gathered, notably brandishing a sign “Emily is our heroine”. Nevertheless, Mandy recalled that the fight continues: “For too many families, the impossible wait continues. Every kidnapped person must be freed, every last one.”
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