Family of British hostage Emily Damari ‘hopeful’ before release by Hamas
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Lawyer says Damari family preparing themselves for potential delays in handover to Israel after ceasefire. The family of the last remaining British hostage in Gaza are “hopeful” of being reunited after 471 days, but are preparing themselves for delays as they await her promised release.
Emily Damari, 28, who has joint British and Israeli citizenship, has been named as one of three female hostages due to be released by Hamas on Sunday at 4pm local time (2pm GMT). A lawyer for Damari’s family told the Guardian they were travelling to the hospital where she was due to be transported on release and were “hopeful, but not getting excited yet”.
Adam Rose, representing the family, said: “They don’t know and we don’t know if any of the hostages being released today are dead or alive. We’re hopeful that they’re alive. We believe that the first hostages to be released are meant to be living hostages.
“They will be heading to the hospital now, where Emily and the other hostages will be taken to, and hopefully they will get to meet up very soon.”. The Damari family lived on the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel, which was attacked on 7 October 2023. Emily Damari is understood to have been shot in the hand and injured by shrapnel in her leg before she was blindfolded and bundled into a car to be driven to Gaza.
