For nearly four months from her 471 days of captivity, Emily Damari was imprisoned in her tunnels Hamas under Gauzewhere the smell of human feces permeated the dirty liquid air and the floor was full of cockroaches.
Throughout this situation, The British-Israeline had a permanent and intense pain, as Hamas’ armed men in her gauze cut two of her fingers the day that was abducted on October 7, 2023, while The remains of another sphere had been wedged on its right foot.
But there was something worse than hunger, smell, pain and lice that contaminate their clothes and hair: the cages.
Describing for the first time the inhumane treatment with which they were treated, Emily speaking today (25.07.2025) in the Daily Mail describes: “Sometimes we were up to six people at the same time, cramped into a tiny cage just two by two meters. “
The 29 -year -old was finally released along with 32 other hostages under a ceasefire agreement in January And she became worldwide when a photo of her posing with her injured hand became a viral and a symbol of freedom and courage.
Since then she’s trying to rebuild her life as She undergoes multiple finger surgeries and to remove the sphere from her leg.
But today, the only Israeli hostage with dual British nationality moves to the Daily Mail back in its painful moments in Gaza from her new home near Tel Aviv, Israel.
The last place in which Emily wants to return is the tunnels. But reveals all the atrocities he suffered there for a reason: while he came out, Hamas is still hostage to her best friends: The twin brothers Galli and Ziv Berman, 27 years old, with whom they were abducted by their kibbuts before they were separated in the early days of their captivity.
“They probably have them in a cage,” he says, “they are abusing them. There is not much water. It is likely to be immense heat for them. “
About 50 hostages remain, of which 20 are confirmed alive, including Gemini, and Donald Trump, who helped release Emily in January, said this week that he should secure the release of ten more “very soon”.
But today the US president said Hamas does not want a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Emily urges US President and Benjamin Netanyahu “Do what they go through to bring my galli and my ziva back.”
“You saved my life, now you have to do the same for the last 50 hostages. Only then will we be able to start heal, “he says.
The fact that Emily survived is largely due to the stunning power of her character, which allowed her not to fall in front of the worst of mankind. Today reveals that She grabbed the barrel of a Hamas terrorist and turned her on her face, begging him to kill her instead of catching her hostage.
And how, in another case, She persuaded a guard to give her his gun and thought of killing her kidnappers – knowing that she too would be killed.
He also talks about how She had to hide the fact that she was homosexual by her kidnappers.
Her mother, 64 -year -old Madi, born in Surrey, was found at 20 in southern Israel where when she met and fell in love with Israeli Avihai, today, 66, from whom Emily says she inherited her energy.
Emily Enjoyed a “95% perfect” childhood in Kibutz Kfar Aza, Although it endured “5% hell” by rockets and threats from neighboring Gaza. Madi taught in kindergarten and Avien was a football coach, along with her three older brothers, 32 -year -old Sean, 35 -year -old Tom and 38 -year -old Ben. Proud of her English -speaking roots and football lover, she supports both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Tottenham Hotsper.
Then there were her “other” brothers – Galli and Zib. Life in Kibbuts meant that it was rarely separate from the very first day they met in kindergarten.
“We’ve always been together,” he said. “I love both of them and I miss them.”
Indeed, on October 6, 2023, Emily made one of the barbecue she loved to organize for her friends, who attended the twins.
A few hours later, rockets began to launch, and soon it became apparent that terrorists were in the kibbuts.
Emily, alone at home, was terrified.
“I sent a message to Gali: ‘I’m not good.’ I couldn’t move because my body was just ice. Treasure – it was crazy. ” Galli risked his life to run to be with her.
Three hours later they heard Arabic voices approaching.
“Shoot me!”
Then a window broke. Within seconds, about ten terrorists stormed into her room, where Emily and Galli were lying hand in hand in bed and praying.
“I hugged Gali and our faces were on the pillow,” Emily said.
Hamas’s gunmen dragged them out and put them on a sofa while trying to find her car to take them to Gaza.
“I just sat there and said, ‘My God, what do they do?’
He saw Zib coming out of his apartment with tied eyes. Her Pacific Kibbuts had “become hell”. “There were fires everywhere, the doors open, all dead,” he said.
“We saw RPG. We saw sub -parliament. They were so happy with what they did. “
One of the gunmen returned to Emily, who bleed a lot and was in shock, and said she would take her to the hospital.
“I realized that this would not be an Israeli hospital, so I told them,”No, no, no, shoot me! ” I didn’t want to be kidnapped me, I would rather die. I got his gun, put it on my head and said, “Shoot me! Shoot me!”
“Then someone put his gun on Gali’s head, so I said immediately, ‘No, no, don’t kill him.’
‘They can do whatever they want, whenever they want’
Speaking of detention conditions, the young woman remembers:
«Let you go to the toilet once or twice a day – It has a hole in the ground. It stinks a lot. There is no running water, only a jug of water. At times, they were six stacked in a cage, making it impossible to lie down, and they could hardly see. Battery lamps give you light, but it’s very low, ”recalls Emily. “They cause you tears in your eyes.”
All the time, They were in the eyes of at least three armed men.
Worse than the guards, however, was silence. “It makes you deaf,” says Emily. “He kills the ears … you go crazy in it.”
Initially, Emily was among a group of 11 women and young girls and a week later the November truce was agreed. Six from the group were released.
When asked how she did, Emily said they had no choice but to accept her: “We just kept surviving. We were surrounded by terrorists. Five girls. Have weapons. They are stronger than you. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want. “
For Emily there was the fear that her sexuality would be revealed: “I hid it because I knew it was worse than knowing that I was Jewish or Israeli – they would kill me.”
“The terrorists were calling me squeeza, it means that you are very confident about yourself, very strong,” he recalls. “I did everything just to survive. If they were sitting with me now and I could kill them – of course I would do it with joy».
Emily even managed to persuade a tunnel guard once to give her a gun to “play”.
“Then he left,” he said. “I told the girls, maybe I should kill him? I began to be very excited about the idea.
“But after the girls they said, ‘Yes, but then what? Then we will all die.'”
While she did not care for her safety, she retreated.
“Where’s my mom?”
In early January 2025, Emily had a feeling that they would release them.
He remembers he said with confidence to the others hostages: “I tell you. We’ll get out of here. ” In fact, she shaved her legs …
On January 19, Emily was right. However, she had not yet ended with the orders to her guards. When she was given a red t -shirt to wear at the release ceremony, Emily refused to wear the color of Israel’s opposing football team.
“Tell your commander that Emily Damari is not wearing red,” she insisted. They agreed to give her a green t -shirt. The 29 -year -old surrendered to the Israeli army, who confirmed that all three of her brothers and parents were alive, and tried to get in touch with psychologists and healers who were on alert.
“I said, ‘Okay, okay, but where is my mom?’ “I was told that this is your room, and I replied,” Great, whatever you say, but where is my mom? ” And then it came! I said, “Mom, sorry, I’m so sorry.”
The hug with her mother was “perfect”.