A Former Israeli Hostage Is Freed From Hamas, but Not Captivity
Freed From Hamas, but Not Captivity Back home in Israel, an ex-hostage fights for those left behind. After nearly 500 days of captivity in Gaza, Emily Damari was released by Hamas militants in a trade with Israel. The worst lay behind her, but the ordeal was not over. Weeks after regaining her freedom, Ms. Damari returned to the home where she had lost it on a day of stunning brutality: Oct. 7, 2023. Now she has a new home, where friends gathered for a housewarming. But the memories of those still held hostage are never far away. Freed From Hamas, but Not Captivity Visuals by Avishag Shaar-Yashuv Written by Isabel Kershner and Avishag Shaar-Yashuv Reporting from Jerusalem Oct. 6, 2025 Leer en español On the morning that Hamas gunmen overran Kfar Aza, a pastoral Israeli kibbutz near the border with Gaza, they burst into Emily Damari’s small apartment, shot and killed her dog, Choocha, and snatched her from her bedroom. She was bleeding from hand and leg wounds. Then they took the keys to her car and drove her and two neighbors across the fields back into their Palestinian coastal enclave. For the next 471 days, Ms. Damari was held hostage, above and below ground. Released on Jan. 19, 2025, as part of a brief cease-fire, she emerged ebullient, arriving at a hospital near Tel Aviv wrapped in a large Israeli flag. When she was reunited with her mother, she flashed a kind of V-sign with her bandaged left hand — a “rock on” gesture made up of her thumb and her index and little fingers because her two middle fingers were missing. That gesture, captured in photos released by the Israeli military, instantly became iconic, a symbol of resilience and survival. Image A picture made available by the Israeli authorities of Ms. Damari shortly after her release from captivity. Credit... Israeli Army, via Agence France-Presse –Getty Image The next morning, she thanked her family, friends and God in an Instagram post and declared, “I have returned to life.” We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .