Tottenham fans released yellow balloons during tonight’s Carabao Cup quarter-final in support of British Spurs fan Emily Damari who is being held in Gaza. The last remaining British hostage was kidnapped on October 7 and has now been detained for 440 days. Damari, 28, was last seen alive on January 20.
Her mother Mandy Damari, who grew up in Beckenham, said her Spurs-supporting daughter loves visiting the UK to visit family, go shopping and to pubs. The dual national was taken from Kfar Aza kibbutz last year when she was allegedly shot in the hand, blindfolded and taken to Gaza.
Spurs fans held a rally outside the Tottenham Stadium before the Aston Villa game on November 3 to call for Damari’s release. They distributed leaflets with her photo wearing a Tottenham scarf and chanted: “She’s one of our own”. Mandy Damari visited London earlier this month to meet politicians and urge more action to bring her daughter and the other 100 remaining hostages home.
But she told the BBC: “I fear that she's dead. And if she's not dead, she's not getting enough food to eat, she's not able to wash herself, drink water, she could be ill. “She's suffering from gunshot wounds to her hand and her leg... I worry every day, I worry every second because in the next second, she could be murdered, just because she's there.”.
Spurs are facing United with a place in the last four of the Carabao Cup up for grabs. Tottenham are bidding to end a trophy drought which stretches back to 2008. Dominic Solanke gave them a first-half lead after United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir spilled a long-range drive by Pedro Porro.
