A British-Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas and held hostage for 271 days in Gaza has undergone a series of operations for wounds she suffered on the day she was taken captive.
Emily Damari was at home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on 7 October 2023 when Hamas launched its massacre in Israel, killing 62 residents in the community and kidnapping 19 others.
The 28-year-old was shot in her left hand and right leg at close range, causing her to lose two fingers and leaving her with injuries to her leg that impair her movement.
Speaking before a series of operations in Israel, she said: “I have fully embraced my hand, my pain, and my scars. To me they represent freedom, hope and strength.”
Image: Ms Damari before her surgery. Pic: The Damari Family
Afterwards she said the surgery “went much better than expected”.
She added: “My recovery will take time and my hand will never fully recover, but the intense pain I had for a year and a half due to the nerves being sewn together after my first operation in Shifa Hospital in Gaza is now no longer with me and the large scar, that was caused by an open, festering wound that did not heal for four months because of the conditions of the tunnels I was held in, is now looking better.
“After my recuperation, with the help of physiotherapy, I hope to be able to use my hand much more effectively than was previously possible, before the surgery.”
Image: An X-ray of Ms Damari’s injured hand. Pic: The Damari Family
Ms Damari’s mother, Mandy Damari, said her daughter had been “sewn up like a pin cushion” by Hamas, leaving her with significant pain in her hand and leg.
She said Hamas did not provide any medical aid except for an out-of-date bottle of iodine during her daughter’s time in captivity.
“It is nothing short of a miracle that she did not contract a life-threatening infection,” she added.
Ms Damari said she was kept in Hamas’s network of underground tunnels with no sanitation or access to clean water.
“It was shocking but not surprising to see how emaciated some of the other hostages were when they came out. Hamas has created hell on Earth, the conditions down there are unimaginable,” she added.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has invited Ms Damari and her mother to visit No 10 on their next visit to the UK and fans of her favourite football club Tottenham Hotspur have offered her matchday tickets.
Some 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack in Israel on 7 October 2023, with 251 people taken hostage into Gaza.
It sparked Israel’s invasion of the enclave, which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count – and displaced almost all of its 2.3 million population, leaving Gaza a vast wasteland.
The ceasefire deal has seen Hamas hand over 33 Israeli hostages as well as five Thais in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from some parts of Gaza. Some 59 hostages remain in Gaza.
A 70-year-old man has been killed and others wounded after a knife attack in the Israeli city of Haifa, authorities say.
The elderly man is believed to have been the attacker, but it is not clear how he died.
According to Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service, four people were injured in the attack at a busy bus station on Monday morning. Head of the MDA Eli Bin also referenced reports of gunfire although these have not been confirmed.
Three people, a man and woman in their 30s, and a 15-year-old boy, are in a critical condition, and a 70-year-old woman has “moderate” injuries, the MDA added.
In a previous statement an Israel police spokesman said: “Police forces are en route to the scene following reports of a suspected shooting attack in Haifa.
“There are initial indications of multiple casualties, though their condition remains unclear.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is “exchangeable” for Ukrainian membership of NATO, indicating he would be prepared to step down as president if his country was allowed to join the military alliance.
He also suggested he was ready to sign a minerals deal with the US that was put on hold after his heated meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.
Mr Zelenskyy was speaking to reporters on Sunday evening after earlier talks with other world leaders at a London summit hosted by Sir Keir Starmer, who suggested a coalition of European allies could step up to defend Ukraine and “guarantee the peace”.
Asked by Sky News’ lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim if he could quit in the event his country becomes a NATO member, he said: “I am exchangeable for NATO.”
The Ukraine president added: “I have said that I am exchanging for NATO membership, then it means I have fulfilled my mission. NATO means I have fulfilled my mission.”
But, he continued: “To change me, it will not be easy because it is not enough to simply hold elections. You would need to prevent me from participating. And it will be a bit more difficult.”
More on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Related Topics:
Mr Zelenskyy has also rebuffed US officials calling for him to resign.
His comments at Stansted Airport come after Republicans including senator Lindsay Graham and speaker Mike Johnson suggested he should step down from his position following the fiery White House exchange with President Trump.
Mr Zelenskyy spoke to journalists shortly before leaving the UK on Sunday evening.
Image: Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking to Sky News’ Yalda Hakim
In response to a question from Yalda Hakim, Mr Zelenskyy said: “I can give [Lindsay Graham] citizenship of Ukraine and he will become a citizen of our country.
“And then his voice will start to gain weight, and I will hear him as a citizen of Ukraine on the topic of who must be the president.”
“The president of Ukraine will have to be chosen not in Lindsay Graham’s home but in Ukraine,” he added.
Image: Pic: Reuters
Mr Zelenskyy confirmed there has been communication between Ukraine and the Trump administration since the clash on Friday, but “not on my level”.
Mr Graham – a Republican senator and close Trump ally – labelled the meeting a “complete, utter disaster” at a press briefing on Friday.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
10:47
Watch Trump and Zelenskyy clash
Asked whether Mr Zelenskyy should step aside, he said: “He either needs to resign or send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
After the London summit on Sunday, the prime minister unveiled a four-step plan discussed by leaders, including a pledge to “develop a coalition of the willing” to defend a deal in Ukraine and guarantee a peace settlement.
Sir Keir said Europe “must do the heavy lifting”, and the UK “is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others”.
He also announced a new deal which will allow Ukraine to use £1.6bn of UK export finance to buy 5,000 more air defence missiles.
Zelenskyy’s meeting with the King
The Ukrainian president’s 90-minute sit down with the media came shortly after he wrapped up a tough week with a visit to see the King at Sandringham.
Mr Zelenskyy flew to Norfolk in a helicopter on Sunday afternoon after attending the security summit in central London.
Image: Pic: PA
People – some holding Ukraine flags – gathered outside Sandringham to try to witness his arrival. A military helicopter could be seen flying low before descending over the estate.
Pictures released after the meeting show Charles and Mr Zelenskyy shaking hands by the entrance to the royal home. The pair chatted briefly before heading inside, where they posed for more photographs.
Their meeting lasted just under an hour, Sky News understands.
Image: Pic: PA
A difficult week for Ukrainian president
Mr Zelenskyy’s difficult few days began on Friday, when his day at the White House with Mr Trump was cut short after their meeting in the Oval Office descended into a shouting match.
The pair had been due to sign a minerals deal and hold a joint press conference – but both events were called off after their tense exchange, fuelled in part by comments from vice president JD Vance.
Image: Sir Keir welcomed Mr Zelenskyy to Downing Street on Saturday. Pic: PA
As White House officials scrapped the day’s schedule, Mr Trump described the meeting as “very meaningful” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He wrote: “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations.”
Meanwhile, in an interview on Fox News, the Ukrainian president said the row was “not good for both sides” and refused to apologise. Mr Zelenskyy then jetted to the UK to meet Sir Keir and other world leaders.
US Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested Volodymyr Zelenskyy might need to leave office in order for Ukraine to achieve a peace deal with Russia, as Lord Mandelson says Kyiv should commit to a ceasefire before Russia.
“Something has to change,” Mr Johnson told NBC.
“Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude or someone else needs to lead the country to do that,” he added, referring to Mr Zelenskyy.
The Republican said “it’s up to the Ukrainians to figure that out”.
Meanwhile Lord Mandelson, the UK’s ambassador to the US, told ABC News: “I think that Ukraine should be the first to commit to a ceasefire and defy the Russians to follow.
“And then, as part of the unfolding plan for this negotiation, the Europeans and perhaps some other countries too have got to consider how they are going to put forces on the ground to play their part in providing enduring security and deterrence for Ukraine.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
3:45
Trump and Zelenskyy’s body language explained
The remarks came two days after a disastrous meeting between the Ukrainian president and Donald Trump and his vice president JD Vance descended into a shouting match in the Oval Office.
Mr Johnson said: “What President Zelenskyy did in the White House was effectively signal to us that he’s not ready for that yet and I think that’s a great disappointment.”
The fallout left a proposed agreement between Ukraine and the US to jointly develop Ukraine’s natural resources in limbo.
Image: Mike Johnson. Pic: Reuters
The idea of Mr Zelenskyy stepping aside also came up on Friday after the Oval Office meeting, with US Republican senator Lindsey Graham saying the Ukrainian leader “either needs to resign or send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change”.
Meanwhile, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said it is not clear Mr Zelenskyy is prepared to secure lasting peace with Russia.
“We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians and end this war,” Mr Waltz told CNN when asked whether Mr Trump wants Mr Zelenskyy to resign.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:46
Every time Zelenskyy thanks US
“If it becomes apparent that President Zelenskyy’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands.”
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said he had not spoken to Mr Zelenskyy since the spat on Friday.
“We’ll be ready to re-engage when they’re ready to make peace,” Mr Rubio told ABC.
Image: Marco Rubio during the meeting between Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Trump. Pic: Reuters
But Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar told ABC she was “appalled” by the clash in the Oval Office and said she met Mr Zelenskyy before he went to the White House on Friday and he had been excited to sign an expected minerals deal.
“There is still an opening here” for a peace deal, she said.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:11
World leaders embrace Zelenskyy
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer hosted a summit between Mr Zelenskyy and other European leaders in an effort to get a peace plan back on track.
The prime minister said the UK, France and Ukraine would work on a ceasefire plan to present to the US.
Sir Keir, who visited Washington on Thursday, said he believes Mr Trump does want a “lasting peace” but warned Europe is in a “moment of real fragility” and he would not trust the word of Vladimir Putin.