Emily Damari returns to the house in Kfar Aza from where she was abducted: 'I went back to where the nightmare began'

Damari returned to the house in Kfar Aza where she was kidnapped and posted on Instagram: 'I came back to my home, to the oxygen I nearly lost, to the place where my nightmares began 485 days ago – and I've closed only part of the circle I longed to complete'

Lior Ohana|
On a sofa bearing the sign “From this home, Emily Tehila Damari was kidnapped,” the freed hostage, who returned to her home in Kfar Aza for the first time, posted on Instagram: “I'm Back.” Accompanying her on the visit was freed hostage Romi Gonen, who later replied on Instagram: “My sister from captivity." Liekwise, IDF field observer Liri Albag, who was released after them wrote in response: "We will fight for everyone through fire and water."
“Today I returned to my home, to my apartment, to the oxygen I had that was nearly gone. I returned to the place where all my nightmares began, 485 days ago, and I have closed only part of the circle that I so longed to close,” Damari wrote, adding: “Like me, there are 79 other hostages who need to complete the circle and are waiting to fill the missing pieces. We must not stop here; we must bring everyone back home – life for the survivors and honor for the fallen. I will feel my true victory only when they all return.”
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אמילי דמארי חוזרת לביתה בכפר עזה
אמילי דמארי חוזרת לביתה בכפר עזה
Emily Damari on a couch outside her destroyed home in Kfar Aza
(Photo: Instagram)
Tom, Emily’s brother, posted an Instagram photo of his sister with Romi Gonen during their visit to Kfar Aza, with a picture of Aviv Baram – a close friend of Emily’s killed on Oct. 7 – visible in the background.
“Emily came today to close a circle – to conquer her personal victory and return to the place where she was kidnapped by the monsters of Hamas. She returned there with her family and accompanied by someone who joined our family and became an inseparable part of it, Romi Gonen. Romi and Emily became one, and it’s so amazing to see,” he wrote.
“Their unspoken understanding, eye to eye – sometimes without uttering a word. There was a moment during this complicated day when my heart truly clenched. Emily and Romi sat on a bench beneath the olive trees by the arms depot, with Aviv Baram’s picture in front of them,” he continued, adding: “This moment was so complete, yet at the same time so empty. That’s exactly how the prisoner swap agreement feels. It is a great joy to see our captives returning, and a sick feeling in my stomach to see buses of lowly murderers being released. I am so sorry for what you are going through and for the unimaginable loss; I truly hope that as a people we become worthy of them and of you.”
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אמילי דמארי ורומי גונן בכפר עזה
אמילי דמארי ורומי גונן בכפר עזה
(Photo: Instagram)
Emily, a British citizen, was freed from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the current swap along with Rumi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher. Immediately upon her release, she became a symbol of bravery after pushing one of the Hamas terrorists out of the vehicle that brought her to the Red Cross pickup point – and during a phone call, she shared a striking victory image with her brother by showing him her severed fingers. Until her release, Emily was the only British citizen held in Gaza and no sign of life was offered during her captivity.
On the morning of Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists stormed her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, killed her dog and kidnapped her from the kibbutz young generation neighborhood. Her mother, Mandy, also hid when terrorists broke into their home — and survived after a bullet struck the door lock of the room where she was hiding, jamming it so the terrorists could not enter.
About a week and a half before Emily’s release, her mother pleaded, “Emily, Lolo, if somehow you can hear me, know that we all love you here to the moon and back. Not a second goes by without us thinking of you, praying for you, fighting so you can return home alive.”
On Friday, Mandy revealed that her daughter was held at a facility run by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. She said she spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, thanked him for his support and assistance, and added that “Hamas held Emily at UNRWA facilities and denied her access to medical treatment after she was shot twice.”
“It’s a miracle that she survived."
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