Emily Damari thanks supporters and UK media for support ahead of third anniversary of kidnapping
'Even today, there are people who deny what happened, distort it, or simply choose to look away. The pain did not end when that day ended,' says British-born hostage who survived 471 days in captivity
British-Israeli hostage survivor Emily Damari has released a powerful message thanking the UK public, media and members of Parliament who stood up for her and the hostages during her 471 days in captivity.
Ahead of the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas atrocities, Damari’s personal video thanks those across the UK who continued to speak out for her and the other hostages, ensuring they were not forgotten.
In the message, she wears a piece of tape with the name of her beloved dog Choocha written on it. Choocha was killed in front of Emily when Hamas terrorists attacked her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
She says. “I am speaking to you as a British citizen and as someone who was taken hostage from my home on 7 October 2023. On that day, more than 1,200 people were murdered, and 251 people were taken hostage into Gaza. I was one of them. 15 British citizens were killed that day, and another British hostage later died in captivity. British families lost parents, children, brothers, sisters, and friends. Three years later, I want to ask you to remember what happened on 7 October. It was not an accident; it was a planned terrorist attack, in which innocent people were murdered, raped, injured, and kidnapped from their homes, and from a music festival.”
She adds: “And yet, even today, there are people who deny what happened, distort it, or simply choose to look away. For those of us who lived through 7 October, the pain did not end when that day ended. We carry it with us. Jewish communities around the world have carried it too, and Britain, the Jewish community, have faced rising anti-Semitism and have often felt afraid simply because they are Jewish. But today, I also want to say thank you to everyone in Britain who stood with us, to the members of Parliament who spoke up, to the UK media who shared our stories, to the people who stood on the streets and posted on social media, told our stories and refused to let the hostages be forgotten.
“And to everyone who fought for my freedom and for the freedom of all the hostages, thank you. Your voices matter. Your support matter to me, to my family, and to many family in Israel, it meant more than you will ever know. So, on this anniversary, please remember 7 October. Remember the people we lost. Remember the hostages, and please continue to stand against antisemitism, terrorism. Am Y’Israel Chai.”
Emily Damari was shot in the hand and leg, lost two fingers and was abducted to Gaza, where she was held for 471 days before being released on January 19, 2025. In August 2026, she married her partner Danielle Amit in Tel Aviv and continues to use her voice to bear witness to her experience and to remember the hostages and victims of October 7.