'I'm back to my beloved life', says freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari
Emily Damari's release alongside fellow female hostages Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher is part of the opening phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Monday 20 January 2025 11:46, UK
British-Israeli Emily Damari - one of the three hostages released by Hamas - has said she is "back to her beloved life".
The 28-year-old was shot in the hand and taken to Gaza during the 7 October attack that sparked the war in 2023.
In a statement posted on Instagram, she thanked her family and the "best friends I have in this world".
"Thank you, the happiest in the world just to be," she added.
She ended the post with a hand emoji - on Sunday, she was photographed with two fingers missing and a bandage wrapped around her hand.
Her release alongside fellow female hostages Romi Gonen, 24, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher, is part of the opening phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal which began on Sunday.
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Emily's mother, Mandy Damari, said the release of her daughter was an "incredibly happy moment for our family".
"Yesterday, I was finally able to give Emily the hug that I have been dreaming of," she said.
"In Emily's own words, she is the happiest girl in the world; she has her life back.
"I am also happy that during her release, the world was given a glimpse of her feisty and charismatic personality."
She said her daughter was "doing much better than any of us could ever have anticipated".
"As wonderful as it is to see Emily's resilience, these are still early days," she added.
"As you will have seen yesterday, Emily lost two of the fingers on her left hand.
"She now needs time with her loved ones and her doctors as she begins her road to recovery."
She called for the ceasefire to continue and for "every last hostage" to be returned to their families - and thanked those involved in bringing Emily home, saying: "You are all Emily's family".
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Read more:
What we know about Emily Damari
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Family friend Emily Cohen told Sky News it was an "absolute dream come true" to see Emily released.
She said Emily was doing "really, really well" and was in a "much better condition" than her family were anticipating.
"Just a feisty, lioness fighter, all the way through, maintaining her incredible sense of humour and beautiful spirit," she added.