UK – The Guardian, December 05, 2024
Mandy Damari gives first news conference pleading for help to bring her daughter Emily and the 100 remaining hostages home
The mother of the last remaining British hostage in Gaza has said she wants “solutions, not sympathy” as she appealed to the government to help keep her daughter alive.
Mandy Damari gave her first news conference on a visit to London, where she met with senior politicians, pleading for help to bring her daughter and the other 100 remaining hostages home.
Emily Damari, a British Israeli, was kidnapped on 7 October last year and has been a hostage for 426 days. At this time of year, the 28-year-old would normally visit London with her mother to see the festive lights going up.
Mandy Damari described being in the capital as a “painful reminder” of what she has lost, but she hoped that next Christmas they could return to London together. Since her daughter’s ordeal began, the 63-year-old has spent her time in Israel campaigning for a ceasefire deal that secures the hostages’ release and brings an end to the war and “everyone’s suffering”.
“But this week I came to Britain with a different message,” she said.
“And my message is this: A hostage deal may be weeks, months or even further away. Meanwhile, their condition deteriorates every single hour. Much more needs to be done, and much more can be done, to keep Emily and the other hostages alive while they remain in captivity.”
