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

Emily Damari was finally free, her smile radiating relief. In a video call with her brother, Emily embraced her mother tightly, both glowing with joy. After the darkness of captivity in Gaza, the family was finally reunited.

The dual British-Israeli national was shot and dragged from her home in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. She was also hit by shrapnel and witnessed her beloved dog, Choocha, being shot dead. After 471 days in captivity, 28-year-old Emily was released on Sunday, one of the first three hostages to be freed in a long-awaited truce deal between Israel and Hamas.

Her mother, Mandy, had campaigned tirelessly for her daughter's release and was finally able to embrace her again. In the call, Emily's hand was bandaged and she was missing two fingers, injuries sustained when she was shot before being taken captive. Earlier, Mandy sat on a sofa with the mothers of the other two released hostages, watching their daughters' return to Israel on a phone.

Shortly after confirming her daughter's return to Israel, Mandy released a statement saying: "After 471 days, Emily is finally home. I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily during this horrific ordeal, and who never stopped calling her name. In Israel, in the UK, in the US and around the world, thank you for bringing Emily home." Mandy added that while "Emily's nightmare" was over, other families were still in "unbearable waiting."

She continued: "Every hostage must be released, and humanitarian aid must be provided to those still waiting to come home." Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, said the release of the three hostages was "wonderful and long-awaited." He added: "This includes British citizen Emily Damari, who will now be reunited with her family, including her mother Amanda, who has never stopped working tirelessly to bring her home."

Emily Damari's cousin, Tony Moss, described her release as a "huge relief," but said Sunday was "just the beginning - we need to get the other hostages released." Speaking to the BBC at an event in Golders Green, north London, Moss said he was "in tears" after seeing the pictures of Emily with her mother. He added: "For 471 days we have carried an enormous amount of anxiety and we can put that down now, but it is only for Emily."

For Mandy, the past 15 months have been excruciating. Last Friday, she lit Sabbath candles to mark the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Behind the candles was a picture of her daughter, next to a Union Jack flag. Her prayer was: that this would be the last Sabbath that Emily would spend as a hostage. Across the world, particularly in families in the UK, people would light candles on Friday evenings with pictures of Emily or other hostages alongside them, praying for her release.

Before her release, Emily Cohen, who represents the Damari family, said it "had been a painful 471 days, especially the last 24 hours". Cohen said: "Emily's mum, Mandy, just wants to hug Emily now. But she won't believe it until she sees her with her own eyes." Last month, Mandy explained in an interview with BBC News that some of the other hostages released in November 2023 had seen Emily.

"Some of them saw her in captivity. One family saw her at the beginning, and another family saw her at the end. They told me that she was fine, apart from the gunshot wounds. She was still lucid, she was still Emily," she said. "She was really brave there, and she thought she was coming home. She thought she would be released in the truce because women were supposed to be released after that. Someone asked her, 'Do you need me to bring anything for you?' She said, 'No, no, I'm going home tomorrow.' And then she wasn't released."

Her family was told in March 2024 that she was alive, but they had received no information about her condition. That changed on Sunday. In December last year, Mandy told the BBC she was deeply concerned about the conditions her daughter was in. "She could be starving or dehydrated, or she could have an asthma attack, because you can't breathe in the tunnels," she said. "Even if no-one touches her, if she's on her own, she's being tortured mentally and physically, just by being in a horrible terror tunnel, and I worry every day, every moment, because the next second she could be killed."

Mandy has always appeared dignified and determined. She never wanted to be in the spotlight, but she travelled the world to campaign for her daughter's release, attending rallies and meeting politicians. Mandy initially did not speak publicly about her daughter because she said she believed the government and negotiators would secure her release. But she later became frustrated with the British government and the international community for failing to secure her daughter's release sooner, for failing to provide her with any humanitarian aid, or for failing to establish if her daughter was still alive.

On the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen launched their attack, the mother and daughter were in their respective homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. While Mandy hid in a safe room, a bullet hit the door handle, preventing the attackers from opening the door and saving her life. Meanwhile, Emily was dragged to Gaza. Emily has strong links to the UK. She is a Tottenham Hotspur fan and regularly visited the UK to see relatives, attend concerts, shop and go to pubs.

At Spurs matches, fans released yellow balloons and chanted for her release. She has also missed many precious moments. Emily will learn after her release that her British grandfather, whom she often visited, died during her captivity. Mandy said: "My husband has Alzheimer's, and she always made sure me and him were okay, and she would visit him in the care home. She is the core of our family, and the core is missing. It is like a piece of my heart is missing."

Mandy Damari last heard from her daughter on October 7. Emily sent a text message with a heart emoji as their kibbutz was attacked. Now, the Damari family hope their hearts can heal. They will still grieve for the many neighbours and friends who were murdered. But they hope that they can do this together, with Emily back by their side, after a brutal separation. "I love her more than anything, she is a special person," Mandy said. "It sounds like a cliché, but she is the best daughter I could have."