Emily Damari shares unreleased hostage photos, says surviving Hamas captivity was a miracle
"Three years ago at this time on Simchat Torah I was deep, deep in the Gaza Strip," Damari wrote in her post.
Emily Damari, abducted on October 7, 2023, has shared previously unseen photos from her time as a Hamas hostage on Instagram. The images were posted three years after her abduction during the Hebrew calendar's Simchat Torah. In her post, Damari detailed her experiences at Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where she received treatment for a gunshot wound to her hand and a shrapnel injury to her leg.
She later had two fingers amputated and underwent additional hand surgery after her release in early 2025. Damari emphasized that her survival is a "miracle," noting that the photos show her still in a bloody room with a corpse nearby and people with Kalashnikovs pointing guns at her. She also revealed that her leg continued to bleed for four months after the initial treatment, with stitches meant to be removed after two weeks remaining in her hand for a full year.
Damari's leg wound was improperly stitched, leading to ongoing bleeding despite initial care. In March 2025, she received corrective surgery on her hand. Since her release, Damari has married her partner, Israeli food influencer Dani Amit, in a Tel Aviv wedding celebration in August. The couple, along with other former hostages such as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, Liri Albag, Danielle Gilboa, Omer Shem Tov, Keith and Aviva Siegal, and Gali and Ziv Berman, attended the wedding.
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