Former hostage shares photos from captivity, as Hamas doctor operates on her injured hand

Former hostage Emily Damari shared pictures of herself from Gaza on Saturday that she said were taken immediately after she was abducted by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists to the coastal enclave during the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel. She did so on the three-year anniversary of the Hebrew date of the October 7, 2023, attack — during the holiday of Simhat Torah. Damari, now 30, was taken hostage on October 7 by Hamas terrorists who attacked Kibbutz Kfar Aza, killing, assaulting and abducting dozens to Gaza. In the images posted to Instagram, Damari can be seen lying on a hospital bed at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, her body covered by a blood-stained piece of clothing and her head concealed beneath a covering that the terrorists apparently made her wear. The disguise appears intended to make her look like a local Muslim woman, a tactic Hamas is known to have used to covertly move hostages between locations. A man can be seen operating on Damari’s hand, which was hit by gunfire during the abduction. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms “I was kidnapped together with the best friend I could ask for, Gali Berman, who was with me during the most frightening moments of my life. In these moments I rediscovered the term ‘mortal fear,'” she wrote. When the photos were taken, “I’m in a disgusting room filled with blood, a corpse is on the ground near me. A ‘doctor’ approaches and presents himself as ‘Dr. Hamas,’ while near him are another 10 monsters with AK-47s [pointed] at my head and I am just praying to God that he will protect me in this situation,” Damari recalled. A photo obtained by the IDF that was shared by freed Hamas hostage Emily Damari on October 3, 2026, shows her at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital after she was abducted to the coastal enclave during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror atrocities in southern Israel. (IDF via @emilydamari on Instagram) Damari was subsequently held captive in Gaza for 471 days, before being released as part of a hostage release-ceasefire deal on January 19, 2025. Advertisement Upon her release, Damari immediately drew attention to her hand, now missing two fingers, which she raised in a symbol of victory. A photo obtained by the IDF that was shared by freed Hamas hostage Emily Damari on October 3, 2026, shows her at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital after she was abducted during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. (IDF via @emilydamari on Instagram) Two months later, she underwent a series of operations to correct complications from the wounds sustained during her abduction. Mandy Damari, Emily’s mother, said at the time that her daughter was “sewn up like a pin cushion” by Hamas, leaving her in significant pain in both her hand and leg. Freed hostage Emily Damari being prepped for surgery on her left hand at Sheba Medical Center on March 2, 2025, after she was shot on October 7, 2023, and not given proper medical care during 15 months of Hamas captivity in Gaza. (Pomi Ofi Tal) “People who understand a little about medicine can look at the pictures and understand that the fact that I’m here at all is a miracle,” Damari said in her Saturday post. “For four months, my leg continued bleeding inside Gaza with an open gunshot wound. Stitches that should have been removed after 14 days remained in my hand for 365 days. “But here I am,” she said, thanking God, family and security forces. “I thank the fact that I survived the worst thing possible, with the help of everyone who was there with me — and above all, one Romi Gonen!” she said, naming a fellow captive. Advertisement “And thank you to the dear people of Israel, who never stopped fighting for us for a moment, so that we could return to you, hug you, tell you our stories, and recover alongside you forever. I love you, and more than anything, I love life.” Damari married her partner Danielle “Dani” Amit in Tel Aviv earlier this year, with fellow former hostages and close friends Agam Berger, Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, Liri Albag, Danielle Gilboa, Omer Shem Tov, Keith and Aviva Siegal, and Gali and Ziv Berman in attendance. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 The wounded captain, the bound attacker, shouts for a doctor and a pilot: New video shows chaos on flydubai flight 2 Before flydubai attack, dozens of Omani pilots flew to TLV despite ban — report 3 Flydubai terrorist named as Hamam al-Hammami; was banned from flying by Oman for suspected extremism 4 Saudi medic’s care of passenger from Israel-bound flydubai flight drama goes viral 5 ‘I couldn’t let all of them die’: Flydubai captain recounts opening cockpit door with ‘last push’ after copilot stabbed him 6 Conspiracy theories about flydubai attack spread across social media, reports find 7 In first, senior UAE official calls flydubai plane attack an ‘act of terrorism’ 8 ‘Immense courage and resolve’: Pilot feted for crucial role in saving the lives of all aboard flydubai 1073 read more: Israel & the Region Emily Damari Shifa Hospital Hamas hostages 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war Gali Berman Kibbutz Kfar Aza October 7 If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.