‘I came back to life’ says freed British-Israeli hostage

Emily Damari, a British-Israeli citizen, says she has “lived again” in her first statement since being released from captivity in Gaza.

A 28-year-old man was shot and dragged from his home in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

He was one of the first three hostages to be freed on Sunday, after spending 471 days in captivity, as part of a long-awaited release. cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

In an Instagram post published after her release, Emily also wrote “I love, love, love”, and thanked God, her family and “the best friends I have in the world”.

According to a translation of the message, which is in Hebrew, he also indicated that he was able to see some of what happened on Sunday after his release, saying “it touched my heart”.

Underneath the message, Emily includes a hand emoji with two fingers crossed. He lost two fingers after being shot in the hand when he was captured.

Its release – a combination of Romi Gonen, 24, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31 – was the first of several because it will happen in the next six weeks – if it ends. In the process, 90 Palestinian civilians were arrested.

The release of hostages will continue until 33 have been returned and about 1,900 Palestinians have been released in exchange.

Emily’s family were told in March 2024 that she was still alive but have not been informed of her condition since then.

On Monday, Mandy’s mother, who has spent a long time campaigning for her release, told a press conference that Emily was “delighted”.

Speaking at Sheba Hospital, where Emily is being treated, she said her daughter was “an incredibly strong and resilient young woman” before thanking those who helped secure her release.

He also called on people to “continue to fight for the remaining 94 soldiers who are due to come home”.

In an earlier statement, Mrs Damari said she was delighted that after Emily’s release, “the world was given a glimpse of her charismatic and charismatic personality”.

“Yesterday, I was able to hug Emily the way I wanted to,” Damari said.

He added that “it is still early days” and that “he needs time with his loved ones and his doctors as he begins his recovery process”.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the release of the three hostages was “shocking and long overdue”.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy, meanwhile, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he was both “delighted and delighted” and “deeply moved” to hear Emily’s words, after being released – after being close to her family throughout their ordeal.

Lammy added that it is important to note that there are slaves being held and that British citizens, such as Nadav Popplewellhe died.

Adam Rose, a lawyer representing the families of the hostages, including Emily’s, said they “seem to be happy” but that her release will be “an exciting and painful and terrifying time for the families of some of the people who didn’t get out”.

Among those still in exile are some people with close ties to the UK. They include Eli Sharabiwho was caught in an attack on 7 October 2023 where his wife and two daughters were killed.

It is not known if they are still alive, and 34 of those captured by Hamas are believed to be dead. His brother, Yossi, was also captured and later killed in exile, in what Hamas said was the result of an Israeli airstrike.

The fate of Oded Lifschitz, the 84-year-old father of UK-Israeli citizen Sharone Lifschitz, is also uncertain. Yocheved’s mother, Oded’s wife of many years, was released more than a year ago as part of a previous release agreement.

Describing her feelings as she awaits news of her father, Sharone told the BBC’s Woman’s Hour programme: “I’m fine. We’ve been using it since October 7. [to a] a mixture of joy and fear and utter pain.”

He said seeing the three women released on Sunday was a “real joy”, adding that while he knew there was “a lot of pain”, the moment the families were reunited was “amazing”.

Avinatan Kapena, whose mother is a British-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival with her boyfriend, Noa Argamani. They were rescued in the middle of Gaza in June 2024 and revealed that they were separated during the abduction.