Emily Damari, a survivor of Hamas captivity, underwent a series of surgeries today to repair severe injuries she sustained on October 7, which had remained untreated throughout her time in captivity.
Emily was shot in her leg and hand, losing two fingers. “I fully accept my hand, the pain, and the scars. To me, they symbolize freedom, hope, and strength,” she said. “I was stitched up like a cushion.”
Damari underwent multiple surgeries at Sheba Medical Center to treat the severe wounds inflicted on her during the October 7 attack.
She was shot at close range in her left hand and right leg in Kfar Aza before being kidnapped. As a result of the gunfire, she lost two fingers and suffered extensive injuries that restricted her movement.
“Hamas provided me with no medical treatment except for an expired bottle of iodine and some bandages,” she recounted. Despite the life-threatening risk of infection, she endured the harsh conditions without access to even the most basic medical care or clean water.
Hamas’s treatment of Damari
Mandy, Emily’s mother, said that Hamas “stitched her up like a cushion” and that the injuries left her in unbearable pain for months.
“The fact that she didn’t die from a fatal infection is nothing short of a medical miracle,” she added.
“I am proud of my disability, and with it, I will win”.
Emily reported that her surgeries at Sheba Medical Center went far better than expected. “The doctors and nurses did an amazing job. The terrible pain I had for a year and a half—due to the lack of proper treatment in captivity—has significantly decreased. Now, with rehabilitation and physiotherapy, I hope my hand will regain better function than before.”
She said she is now focusing her attention on the fight to free the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.
“My injuries were severe, but I know that there are others still there in far worse conditions, both physically and mentally. Every hostage must return home,” she declared.
Two of those still in captivity are her close friends from the kibbutz, twins Gali and Ziv Berman. Gali was with her when the terrorists broke into her apartment, and the two were abducted together.
She is now campaigning for their release: “I am grateful to President [Donald] Trump for the deal that brought me home, but now we must bring Gali, Ziv, and all the other hostages back before it’s too late.”
In an Instagram post, Emily shared more details about her ordeal:
“‘Hi, I’m Dr. Hamas,’ that’s what the doctor at Shifa [Hospital] told me before my ‘surgery.’ Seventeen months have passed since then, and now the moment I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived—the real surgery at Sheba Medical Center.”
“I remember sitting in Shifa on October 7, staring at a small window, feeling my hand shattered and my leg wounded from the bullet that had hit my beloved dog, Chucha—the most precious thing I had for 11 years.”
“And then came that moment—they took me into the operating room, and right in front of me was a corpse. I looked up and saw the blue sky that should have been gray on such a day. I prayed to God to watch over me. When I woke up, ‘Dr. Hamas’ told me I had lost two fingers, and my leg wound was left open with only four stitches instead of sixteen.
Today, after 17 months, I finally get to replace Shifa with Sheba and receive the treatment I deserve.”
“I am at peace with my injury, truly at peace. I know there’s still a long road to recovery, but this time, I am surrounded by family and friends who love me, and that’s what really matters. I am proud of my disability, and with it, I will win.”
471 days in captivity
Emily Tehila Damari returned to Israel from the Gaza Strip in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, one year and three months after she was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
She was held captive for 471 days alongside Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbacher before being freed.
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