Last British hostage in Gaza freed by Hamas after 15 months in captivity as Israel ceasefire begins
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Emily Damari is one of three women freed by Hamas, the first of 33 hostages due to be freed under ther terms of the ceasefire - after 15 months of war that has levelled Gaza. The last British hostage in Gaza was freed by Hamas after more than 15 months in captivity, as part of a long-fought ceasefire to end the ruinous conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
![[The moment Emily was delivered by Hamas]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/19/16/Banner100.jpg)
British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28, was released alongside two other female captives and reunited with her mother, Mandy, on Sunday evening, after what the family described as nearly 500 “tortuous days” in captivity. In footage taken in Gaza, cheering crowds of armed militants were seen handing over Emily, alongside her friend Doron Steinbrecher, 31, who was captured with her from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Romi Goren, 24, who was seized from the Nova music festival.
![[The mothers of hostages Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, watch footage of their release]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/19/18/SEI236575921-copy.jpg)
Later, in emotional images released online, Emily was seen hugging her mother and waving a bandaged hand, wounded when she was shot during her capture. Mandy, who also survived Hamas’s attack on Kfar Aza, thanked people worldwide for their efforts to bring Emily home.
![[Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) speak with fighters of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, in Saraya Square in western Gaza]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/19/16/SEI236564661.jpg)
“I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal,” she said. “While Emily’s nightmare in Gaza is over, for far too many other families, the impossible wait continues,” she added. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the release “wonderful and long overdue” after Emily endured “intolerable trauma.”.
![[Crowds gathered to watch the long awaited release of the hostages]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/19/16/SEI236568892.jpg)
