British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari shares 'heartwarming' call with PM as he invites her to visit Downing Street
31 January 2025, 14:31
The Prime Minister has shared an emotive phone call with recently released British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari.
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Emily Damari, 28, who grew up in south-east London before moving to Israel, was one of the first three hostages that have been released by Hamas following the agreement of a Gaza ceasefire deal.
On October 7 2023, Emily was shot in the leg and hand by Hamas fighters, who also killed her pet dog before taking her captive.
In the phone call, Emily and her mother Mandy thanked Sir Keir Starmer for the British Government’s role in bringing her home.
Sir Keir said he was “overjoyed” to see the “heartwarming” images of Emily being reunited with her family earlier this month.
He then invited her to visit 10 Downing Street after she recovered from her captivity.
Detailing her ordeal, Emily told the PM she had been held in facilities belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and denied access to medical treatment.
Despite having lost two fingers on October 7, the only treatment she received was an out-of-date bottle of iodine, she said.
She “seems to be doing pretty well psychologically,” her mother told Sir Keir during the call.
Following Emily’s release, Mandy said: "After 471 days Emily is finally home.
"I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name. In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.
"While Emily’s nightmare in Gaza is over, for too many other families the impossible wait continues. Every last hostage must be released, and humanitarian aid must be provided to the hostages who are still waiting to come home."
