Released hostage Emily Damari was shot at close range in her left hand and right leg in Kfar Aza before being kidnapped on October 7.
Seventeen months later, after undergoing proper surgery at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, on Sunday, she recalled that it’s nothing short of a miracle that she didn’t die from an infection or Hamas stitching her up “like a cushion.”
Hi X thanks for all the love On October 7 I was shot in my hand and leg, last week I finally had surgery to help the pain.I embrace my hand, my leg and my scars - to me they represent freedom, hope and strength.I thank G-d, the IDF, and everyone who fought to give me… pic.twitter.com/nfrNhtdBEV
— Emily Damari (@EmilyDamari1) March 2, 2025
“I remember sitting in Shifa [Hospital] on October 7, staring at a small window, feeling my hand shattered and my leg wounded from the bullet that had hit my beloved dog, Chucha – the most precious thing I had for 11 years,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing more details about her ordeal in captivity.
“‘Hi, I’m Dr. Hamas,’ that’s what the doctor at Shifa told me before my ‘surgery,’” she said.
“And then came that moment – they took me into the operating room, and right in front of me was a corpse,” she said. “I looked up and saw the blue sky that should have been gray on such a day. I prayed to God to watch over me. When I woke up, ‘Dr. Hamas’ told me I had lost two fingers, and my leg wound was left open with only four stitches instead of sixteen.”
Damari returned to Israel in the first phase of the recent ceasefire agreement, one year and three months after she was abducted. She was held captive for 471 days alongside Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher.
After finally replacing Shifa with Sheba and receiving the treatment she deserves, Damari said she is at peace with her injury.
“I know there’s still a long road to recovery, but this time, I am surrounded by family and friends who love me, and that’s what really matters,” she said. “I am proud of my disability, and with it, I will win... I fully accept my hand, the pain, and the scars. To me, they symbolize freedom, hope, and strength.”
She said Hamas provided her with no other medical treatment except for an expired bottle of iodine and some bandages. Despite the life-threatening risk of infection, she endured the harsh conditions without access to even the most basic medical care or clean water.
Hamas's treatment of Damari
Damari also said that her surgeries at Sheba went far better than expected.
“The doctors and nurses did an amazing job,” she said. “The terrible pain I had for a year and a half – due to the lack of proper treatment in captivity – has significantly decreased. Now, with rehabilitation and physiotherapy, I hope my hand will regain better function than before.”
She said she is now focusing her attention on the fight to free the remaining hostages still held in Gaza.
“My injuries were severe, but I know that there are others still there in far worse conditions, both physically and mentally. Every hostage must return home,” she said.
Two of those still in captivity are her close friends from the kibbutz, twins Gali and Ziv Berman. Gali was with her when the terrorists broke into her apartment, and the two were abducted together.She is now campaigning for their release.
“I am grateful to US President [Donald] Trump for the deal that brought me home, but now we must bring Gali, Ziv, and all the other hostages back before it’s too late.”