The hostage says that the scars show ‘strength’ before surgery

A British-Israeli host published by Hamas after 15 months in captivity has said that his scars represented “freedom, hope and strength” while undergoing a series of surgeries for his injuries.

Emily Damari, 28, was shot in her hand when she was dragged from her home in southern Israel during Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which made her lose two fingers.

She said that an operation in Gaza had left her in “intense pain” for a year and a half, and that a scar of an “open and deep wound” did not heal for months due to the conditions in which it was held.

Before her treatment, Mrs. Damari said she had “completely embraced” pain and injuries due to what they symbolize.

Mrs. Damari was held by Hamas in Gaza for 471 days before her release. She was One of the first hostages to be released As part of a high fire agreement between the Palestinian and Israel armed group after 15 months of struggle.

She was taken from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the border of Gaza, in the morning of Hamas’ unprecedented attack.

Mrs. Damari also was shot in her leg, and previously said there was He only received a outdated bottle of iodine to treat his wounds while in captivity.

The 28 -year -old said that the complex operations in her hand and leg at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel had been “much better than expected.”

She said the scar in her hand was “looked better” and that the pain, caused by “the nerves that were sewn together” in Gaza, had gone.

Now, with the help of physiotherapy, I hoped to have improved the use of his hand.

But Mrs. Damari said her recovery would take time and her hand “would never be completely recovered.”

She said that the conditions in which hostages were “unimaginable.”

“It was shocking but not surprising to see How emaciated were some of the other hostages? When they left, “he reflected.

“Hamas has created hell on earth,” he said, adding that there were others whose mental and physical health was “in a much worse way” than his. He asked for the launch of all the remaining hostages without delay.

Mrs. Damari’s mother, who grew up in Beckenham in southeastern London, added that her daughter had been “sewn as a mattress of pins” in Gaza.

“It’s nothing less than a miracle that has not contracted a potentially deadly infection,” said Mandy Damari.

Mrs. Damari said she was “so excited” to visit the United Kingdom with her mother once he has healed and that the remaining hostages are released.

“I have so many people that I want to personally thank me for helping me to recover my life.”

The couple has been invited to Downing Street by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sir Keir Starmer, who previously spoke with Mrs. Damari on the phone.

During that conversation, he said he had been held at the United Nations facilities during his captivity. The UN Gaza Agency has requested an independent investigation into the accusation.

In total, Hamas took 251 hostages when he attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and another 1,200 people were killed.

The attack triggered a war that has devastated Gaza. Israel’s military offensive killed at least 48,365 people, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.

The first phase of a high fire entered into force on January 19, which allowed the release of 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai in exchange for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.