{
  "id": 12246287,
  "title": "Former hostage Emily Damari calls out denial, distortion of October 7, thanks British supporters",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/former-hostage-emily-damari-calls-out-denial-distortion-of-october-7",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T22:54:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-910722"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former hostage Emily Damari has denounced the denial, distortion, and dismissal of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre atrocities, as the tragedy's third anniversary approached. Damari, speaking in a video released on Monday, emphasized that it was a deliberate terrorist attack, resulting in the murder, rape, injury, and kidnapping of innocent individuals from their homes and a music festival. Damari also highlighted the rise of antisemitism faced by Jewish communities worldwide, including in the United Kingdom. In the video, she wore a piece of tape with the name of her deceased dog, Choocha, who was killed by Hamas terrorists on the day of her abduction.\n\nDamari thanked British supporters, including members of the British parliament, who had spoken out in support of Israel following October 7. On her Instagram account, Damari shared previously unreleased photos from her time as a hostage, marking three years since her abduction on the Hebrew calendar. She detailed her experience at Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where she underwent treatment for gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, ultimately leading to the amputation of two fingers and additional surgery on her hand after her release in early 2025.\n\nIn August, Damari married her Israeli food influencer partner, Danielle \"Dani\" Amit, in a Tel Aviv wedding celebration. Her mother, Mandy, recounted the moment her daughter was alive, safe, and happy alongside the person she loved after spending 471 days in captivity. Damari concluded her video with a plea for the public to continue standing against terrorism and antisemitism, stating, \"Am Yisrael chai.\"",
  "summary": "\"It was not an accident,\" Damari said in a video released on Monday. \"It was a planned terrorist attack, in which innocent people were murdered, raped, injured, and kidnapped from their homes.\"",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "Calls for Gaza ceasefire ahead of 7 October anniversary",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/calls-for-gaza-ceasefire-ahead-of-7-october-anniversary",
        "published": "2026-10-05T23:26:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}