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Emily Damari spoke on Friday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. She told him that she was held in some United Nations facilities belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) but was denied access to medical care even though she was shot twice on October 7.
During the call with her mother, Mandy, Emily told Starmer she had been held for some time in the UNRWA facilities but was denied any medical treatment despite losing two fingers on her left hand and suffering an unhealed leg wound, adding that the only medical aid she received was an expired bottle of medication.
Emily and her mother urged Starmer to apply maximum pressure on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to the 82 hostages still held in Gaza.
After the phone call, her mother Mandy Damari wrote on X: "Hamas held Emily in UNRWA facilities and denied her access to medical treatment after shooting her twice. It's a miracle that she survived, and we need to get aid to remaining hostages now."
Emily Damari was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza last Sunday, as part of the first wave of hostage releases under the current deal. She was freed alongside Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbacher.
A British citizen, Emily quickly became a symbol of courage. Upon her release, she was seen pushing away one of the Hamas terrorists as she exited the vehicle that brought her to the Red Cross transfer point. In a striking moment of defiance, she also held up her hand during a phone call with her brother, showing him her severed fingers.
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Emily was the only British citizen held captive in Gaza, and no signs of life had been received from her throughout her time in captivity.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists stormed her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, killed her dog, and abducted her. Her mother, Mandy, survived the attack by hiding in a room as terrorists entered the house. A bullet fired by them jammed the door’s lock, preventing them from breaking in.
About a week and a half before Emily’s release, Mandy made a desperate plea: "Emily, Lulu, if you can hear me somehow, know this—we all love you to the moon and back. Not a second goes by that we’re not thinking of you, praying for you, fighting to bring you home alive."