'After 471 days, Emily is finally home': British-Israeli hostage reunited with mother after release

Emily Damari's smile symbolizes her freedom. In a video call with her brother, she embraced her mother tightly, both radiating joy. After the darkness of being held captive in Gaza, the family was finally reunited. The woman, who holds dual British and Israeli citizenship, was shot at her home in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and then dragged away.

Emily was not only shot in the hand but also injured by shrapnel, and her beloved dog, Choocha, was also killed. After being held captive for 471 days, 28-year-old Emily was one of the first three hostages released on Sunday, part of a long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Her mother, Mandy, had been campaigning for her release throughout this period, and now finally had the wish to embrace her daughter again.

Photos from the call showed Emily with bandages on her hand and missing two fingers, injuries sustained from the shooting before she was captured. Mandy had earlier sat on a sofa with the mothers of two other released hostages, watching the moment their daughters returned to Israel on their phones. After confirming her daughter's safe return, Mandy released a statement saying: "After 471 days, Emily is finally home. I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily, never stopped calling her name during this terrible ordeal. In Israel, the UK, the US, and around the world, thank you for bringing Emily home."

Mandy also added that while "Emily's nightmare" was over, the "long wait" for other families continued. She went on to say, "Every hostage must be released, and humanitarian aid must be provided to those still waiting to come home." British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the release of the three hostages was "welcome and long overdue." He added: "This includes British citizen Emily Damari, who will now be reunited with her family, including her mother, Amanda, who has never stopped fighting hard for her daughter's return home."

Emily Damari's cousin, Tony Moss, said he was "incredibly relieved" at her release, but said that Sunday "was just the beginning, and 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 picture of Ms Damari with her mother. He added: "For 471 days, we've been under enormous anxiety, and now we can put that anxiety aside, but that's just for Emily."

For Mandy, the past 15 months have been a painful ordeal. Last Friday, she lit Sabbath candles to mark the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Behind the candles, there was a picture of her daughter next to a British flag. Her prayer was: this would be the last Sabbath that Emily was held as a hostage. Around the world, and especially in families in the UK, people lit candles on Friday evenings next to pictures of Emily or other hostages and prayed for her release.

Before her release, Emily Cohen, who represents the Damari family, said that it "has been a painful 471 days, but especially a painful 24 hours." Cohen said: "Emily's mother Mandy just wants to hug Emily now. But she won't believe it's real until she sees her with her own eyes." In an interview with BBC News, Mandy explained that some of the other hostages released in November 2023 had seen Emily. She said: "Some of them had seen her during their captivity. One family saw her at the beginning, and one family saw her at the end. They told me she was okay, apart from the gunshot wounds. She was still lucid, she was still the same Emily."

"She was very brave there, and she thought she was going home. She thought she was going to be released in that ceasefire because women were supposed to be released after that. Someone asked her, 'Do you want me to bring you anything?' She said, 'No, no, I'm going back tomorrow.' And then she wasn't released." Her family was told she was still alive in March 2024 but received no information about her condition. It wasn't until Sunday that there was new information. In December, Mandy told the BBC she was very worried about the situation her daughter was facing. She said: "She could be starving or dehydrated, or she could be suffering from asthma because you can't breathe in the tunnels."

"Even if no one touches her, if she is alone, she is still going to suffer mentally and physically all the time, just because she is in a terrible terror tunnel. I worry every day, every second, because the next second she could be killed." Mandy has always been dignified and resolute. She never wanted to be the focus, but she traveled the world, attending rallies and meeting with politicians to fight for her daughter's release. 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 UK government and the international community for failing to secure her daughter's release sooner, for failing to provide her with any humanitarian aid, and even for failing to confirm whether her daughter was still alive.

On the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen attacked, the mother and daughter were in their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza separately. While Mandy hid in a safe room, a bullet hit the door handle, preventing the attackers from opening the door, thus saving her life. Meanwhile, Emily was dragged to Gaza. Emily has strong ties to the UK. She is a Tottenham Hotspur fan and often visits relatives in the UK to attend concerts, go shopping, and go to pubs. Fans at a Spurs match released yellow balloons and chanted for her release. She has also missed many precious moments. After her release, Emily will learn that her British grandfather, whom she visited often, passed away during her captivity.

Mandy said: "My husband has Alzheimer's, and she always makes sure that he and I are okay, and she would visit him at the care home. She is the core of our family, and now that core is missing. It's like a part of my heart isn't there." The last time Mandy heard from her daughter was on October 7. Emily sent a text message with a heart emoji while their kibbutz was under attack. Now, the Damari family hopes that their hearts can heal. They will still mourn their many murdered neighbors and friends, but they hope to spend this time of cruel separation together with Emily back by their side. "I love her so much, and she's a special person," Mandy said, "It sounds like a cliché, but she's the best daughter I could have asked for."