Freed British-Israeli hostage thanks Tottenham Hotspur for ‘incredible support’
New pictures show Ms Damari wearing a navy T-shirt and black cap while holding a Tottenham Hotspur scarf.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British-Israeli woman released by Hamas after 15 months in captivity has thanked her favourite football team Tottenham Hotspur for their “incredible support” during her ordeal.
Emily Damari was one of three hostages freed on Sunday after a ceasefire deal was agreed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The 28-year-old was taken from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel on the morning of Hamas’s attack on October 7 2023 and shot in the hand, losing two fingers, before being held in Gaza.
New pictures shared on Wednesday showed Ms Damari wearing a navy T-shirt and black cap while holding a scarf for Tottenham Hotspur, of whom she is an avid supporter.
Hundreds of yellow balloons were released into the air during the club’s match against Newcastle United earlier this month to raise awareness of her ongoing captivity at the time, while a picture of Ms Damari was displayed on the stadium’s large LED screens during half time, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Ms Damari used to attend the team’s home matches in London regularly.
Israeli ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely said an X post that Ms Damari had “sent her heartfelt gratitude (to) the Spurs fans for all their incredible support during her time in captivity” as they “never gave up hope”.
Ms Hotovely added: “Everyone is eagerly looking forward to welcoming you back to the Spurs’ ground, Emily!”
In her first comments since being freed, Ms Damari said she was “the happiest in the world” and had “returned to life”.
Ms Damari’s mother Mandy, who grew up in Beckenham, south-east London, said in a statement on her release: “I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name.
“In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.”