The last remaining British hostage in Gaza has arrived in Israel to be reunited with her family after 471 days in captivity.
Emily Damari, 28, who has joint British and Israeli citizenship, was one of three female hostages released by Hamas on Sunday. Doron Steinbrecher, 31, who was taken from her home in the same kibbutz, and Romi Gonen, 24, who was abducted from a music festival, were also released.
The women were seen leaving a vehicle in Gaza surrounded by armed Hamas men and taken to the border with Israel by the International Red Cross. Their mothers were reported to have been allowed to the border to hug their daughters for the first time, while other relatives waited for them to arrive at a hospital in Israel.
Damari’s mother, Mandy, thanked “everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name”, adding that “while Emily’s nightmare in Gaza is over, for too many other families the impossible wait continues”.
She added: “Every last hostage must be released, and humanitarian aid must be provided to the hostages who are still waiting to come home.
“We ask that the media please respect Emily’s and our family’s privacy during this time.”
The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, said the release of three hostages was “wonderful and long-overdue news after months of agony for them and their families”.
He said in a statement: “I wish them all the very best as they begin the road to recovery after the intolerable trauma they have experienced. We stand ready to offer assistance and support.
“However, today also represents another day of suffering for those who haven’t made it home yet – so while this ceasefire deal should be welcomed, we must not forget about those who remain in captivity under Hamas.
“We must now see the remaining phases of the ceasefire deal implemented in full and on schedule, including the release of those remaining hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The UK stands ready to do everything it can to support a permanent and peaceful solution.”
A lawyer for Damari’s family told the Guardian earlier in the day that it had been an “incredibly traumatic time” for Emily’s mother and that they had not allowed themselves to get excited until she was returned.
The Damari family lived on the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel, which was attacked on 7 October 2023. Damari is understood to have been shot in the hand and injured by shrapnel in her leg before she was blindfolded and bundled into a car to be driven to Gaza.
Damari’s mother also lived on the kibbutz and has been an outspoken campaigner for the release of hostages.
Adam Rose, representing the family, said he expected that in their first moments together “she will hug her daughter, and there’ll be lots of tears”.
The women were seen walking to the Red Cross vehicles, giving families hope for their health. Rose said earlier on Sunday that Damari’s condition, and even whether she was alive, were still unconfirmed. “They don’t know and we don’t know if any of the hostages being released today are dead or alive. We’re hopeful that they’re alive… I guess we will have to see whether Emily walks to the ambulance.”
Damari will be given a medical checkup in hospital and her relatives will have a chance to hold her for the first time in more than a year.
“We don’t know how she’s been treated for the past 15 months,” Rose said. “We don’t know if she’s been fed, if she’s had medication. We know she was injured when she was taken. I think she had bullet wounds to her leg and her hand from the attacks in October and we will have to wait and see how she’s doing.”
Speaking about the impact on Damari’s mother, Rose said: “For Mandy, Emily’s mother, I think it’s just been an incredibly traumatic time, and not something that she, or frankly, anyone, was ever prepared for. It takes a lot of time to come to terms with what’s happened.
“Mandy was at Kfar Aza on the kibbutz. It was her home as well on the day of the attack. And therefore, irrespective of her daughter being kidnapped, Mandy’s got her own trauma from the day to come to terms with, which, of course, she’s not had a moment to deal with because she’s been waiting to see her daughter again.”
Rose said before Damari’s release that the family had managed to keep up hope that they would be reunited. “It’s extremely difficult. You don’t want to believe that something good will happen until it’s happened. You can’t just be pessimistic and negative, because you wouldn’t do anything. You have to have hope. So I think they continue to have hope that Emily will come out OK, and will be able to rebuild her life quickly, and as they will be able to rebuild their lives.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “The UK government welcomes the reports that British national Emily Damari is on the list of hostages to be released by Hamas today. We stand ready to support her upon her release.
“We urge both sides to implement all phases of the deal in full and for all hostages to be returned.”
