Mandy Damari, the mother of Emily Damari, who was released from Hamas captivity on Sunday as part of the hostage deal, shared heartfelt messages on Monday after finally reuniting with her daughter after 470 days of being held in captivity by Hamas terrorists.
Mandy stated that she was “finally able to give Emily the hug that I have been dreaming of” in a statement put out by the Hostage Families Forum and thanked everyone involved in bringing Emily home, restating that they are “all Emily’s family.”
Emily is “doing much better than any of us could ever have anticipated,” and Mandy expressed her happiness that the world was “given a glimpse of her feisty and charismatic personality” upon her release from captivity.
The statement adds that Emily is “the happiest girl in the world” and that “she has her life back.”
The remaining 94 hostages must be remembered even during this happy moment, the Damari family added, stating that “the ceasefire must continue and every last hostage must be returned to their families.”
“These are still early days,” Mandy continued, noting Emily’s loss of two fingers on her left hand. Reports in Israeli media indicate that these fingers were lost during the October 7 massacre. “She needs time with her loved ones and doctors as she begins her road to recovery,” the statement continued.
Mandy Damari concluded by stating that no family members will be conducting interviews or making further comments in the immediate future, asking for “space and privacy to heal at this time.”
Social media activity
Meanwhile, Emily re-activated her Instagram profile, creating a post in which she stated that she is filled with love and thankful to her family and the best friends in the world and that she has returned to her beloved lifestyle.
She added that she had seen only a small amount of the social media activity around her release from captivity and that her “heart has exploded from excitement,” following that she is the happiest she could possibly be with simply being alive.
Emily concluded her post with an emoji, typically linked with celebrating rock music, which shows the two middle fingers bent inwards towards the palm.
The emoji has been shared widely in Israeli and Jewish social media posts in solidarity with Emily and her missing middle fingers.
Jesus Christ is King
