Emily Damari, the only British hostage still being held in Gaza, is among a list of 33 captives due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, according to reports in Israeli media.

The 28-year-old was snatched from her home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel by Hamas on the morning of October 7, 2023. 

Ever since, her mother, Mandy Damari, has been lobbying top politicians in the UK and Israel in a tireless campaign to secure her release.

Emily Damari was shot and kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7

The mother of the Israeli-British hostage has expressed her gratitude to Donald Trump, the incoming US president, whom she views as fundamental to the deal.

“President-elect Donald Trump, you have really made my dreams come true. A deal has been signed,” she told the Mail.

Trump has claimed credit for the success of the negotiations in Doha, the Qatari capital, which involved his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. In a press conference on Wednesday, outgoing US President Joe Biden made it clear that the deal was an exact mirror of the proposal he put forward in May this year. 

Mandy Damari recently criticised the UK government for failing to provide solutions for the the release of her daughter, Emily, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 (Getty Images)

“But it’s not over,” Damari said. “My nightmare is still going on until I see Emily and all the other 98 hostages back in Israel with their families.”

Some 98 hostages are still in captivity in Gaza, but under the terms of Wednesday's breakthrough deal, only 33 will be released over the next six weeks, including women and children, men over 50 and the sick.

 “It would be the most wonderful feeling in the world if she’s coming back, the most wonderful feeling,” Damari said.

“But I won’t believe it until I see and feel it for myself.”

Adam Rose, a partner at Mishcon de Raya, is one of the lawyers representing the interests of British and British-linked hostages. Speaking to the JC, he said there has been no confirmation that Emily will be released on Sunday, the first day of the ceasefire.

"The information that we're seeing is that not everyone will be released immediately, that this list of 33, which includes both living hostages and dead hostages, will be released over the period of up to 42 days rather than immediately,” he said.

"I don't think there's yet any expectation of who will come out immediately. There's lots of rumors but I don't think anyone should rely on that at all.”

On October 7, when Hamas operatives invaded their home, Damari was spared capture when a terrorist’s bullet jammed the lock of the room where she was hiding. Her daughter suffered gunshot wounds in the attack, which were thought to be potentially fatal.

Damari said she carried with her a photograph of Emily wherever she went and a keyring of the fictional character Stitch, whom her daughter liked.

“Every morning, I wake up and say, ‘Keep strong, keep alive, you’re going to be okay’, and that I love her, and I send her a virtual hug for 40 seconds and hope she can feel it,” Damari said.

Despite the signing of Wednesday’s ceasefire deal, Damari is still full of anxiety.

Only yesterday, an Israeli cabinet meeting about the deal was delayed after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement.

“I have more hope now than I’ve had in the last 15 months. But it’s not over yet,” she said. “Emily is not home yet, nobody has crossed the border. Everyone is a humanitarian case, they all need to come home now.”

Other hostages set to be released in the first phase of the deal are Kfir (1) and Ariel Bibas (5), the youngest of the hostages, taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, and Oded Liftshitz (84), a founding member of the same kibbutz.