Emily Damari

Emily Damari was born in 1996 in Kfar Aza

Emily Damari was born in 1996 in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and grew up there as the youngest of four siblings. Her father, Avihai, is Israeli, and her mother, Mandy, was born in London and moved to Israel in her twenties. Her grandfather was the actor and playwright Saadia Damari, brother of the singer Shoshana Damari.

She served as a fighter in the Border Police and stayed on in career service. She hid this from her captors, and it was cleared for publication only in October 2025.

On 7 October 2023 Hamas militants took her from her home in Kfar Aza. She was shot in the hand and leg, lost two fingers, and her dog was killed. In captivity she had surgery at Shifa Hospital and was held for long periods with fellow hostage Romi Gonen.

She was released on 19 January 2025 under a ceasefire deal and underwent surgeries at Sheba Medical Center. Afterward she campaigned for the return of the remaining hostages, including her friends Gali and Ziv Berman. In 2025 she lit a torch at the Independence Day ceremony.

Damari is openly lesbian and hid her orientation from her captors. She became engaged to Daniel Amit in January 2026, and they married in Tel Aviv in August 2026.