‘I hope this gets to you’, mum’s agonising letter to British woman, 28, held hostage by Hamas as she fights to free her
A BRITISH mum has written an agonising letter to her daughter who has been held captive by Hamas for nearly a year.
Writing with a mix of grief and hope, Mandy Damari spoke of her hopes to intensify efforts to secure her daughter Emily's release.
Emily, who was taken during the devastating October 7 attacks last year, is the only known British hostage still in Gaza.
The 28-year-old's life was shattered when Hamas terrorists abducted her from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, near the Gaza border, where she had been living.
During the assault, her beloved cockapoo, Choocha, was shot dead in her arms, and Emily herself suffered a gunshot wound to her hand before being taken hostage.
Mrs. Damari, 63, has been relentless in her campaign to free her daughter, traveling the globe and meeting with world leaders.
Read more on Israel
Despite these efforts, Emily remains in captivity, alongside over 100 other hostages.
As the anniversary of the attacks approaches, Mrs. Damari has expressed her mounting frustration, declaring that time is running out for her daughter.
"It is breaking my heart a little more, day by day," she wrote.
"Soon there will be nothing left of my heart – or Emily."
Most read in The Sun
This week, in an act of desperation, Mrs. Damari traveled to Downing Street to deliver a personal letter to Prime Minister and Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer.
She urged him to use all available resources—diplomatic pressure, negotiations, and humanitarian efforts—to bring her daughter home.
"We don't need tea and sympathy," she said.
"We need actions, not words."
Her poignant letter contains a direct message to Emily, the reports.
“Please keep strong, keep praying and just be your beautiful self that I love to the moon and back," she wrote, adding, "You will come home."
She signed off as "Mum who is always right," referencing a tattoo Emily has in honour of her.
Mrs. Damari’s tireless activism reflects the agony of a parent who has been left disillusioned and panicked, feeling let down by the British government.
After a recent meeting with Sir Keir, she wrote of her frustration, questioning why she has had to plead for action.
"They are supposed to be intelligent people… aren't the answers obvious to them?" she asked.
Her frustration deepened after learning about the execution of six hostages by Hamas, including Eden Yerushalmi, a young woman just four years younger than Emily, who had been starved and brutally killed.
On Monday, the world will mark a year since the October 7 attacks, when Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented assault, killing 1,200 people in what has been described as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
It comes as...
- Israel launched airstrikes in Beirut and expanded no-go zone
- Sinwar’s ‘right hand man’ was killed in bunker blitz in Gaza
- Brits fleeing Lebanon in superyachts to Aiya Napa for £2,500
- Iran could have nuclear missiles in six months, expert warns
- Iran’s missile blitz ‘killed more of its own soldiers than Israelis'
- Vid shows guards on Brit ship firing at Houthi drone boat
- Eight IDF soldiers died in Hezbollah ambush in Lebanon
- Israel plans revenge on Iran from secret mountain bunker
Yet, as Mrs. Damari points out, many in the UK remain unaware that a British citizen is still being held hostage.
Tomorrow, Mrs. Damari will continue her campaign with a speech in London’s Hyde Park, calling on the British government to do more.
Her message is clear: time is running out, and her daughter’s life hangs in the balance.
It comes as Israel wiped out 250 Hezbollah terrorists in just four days since the invasion into Lebanon, says the nation's military.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are continuing to fight on multiple fronts across the Middle East with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei even defending Hamas' October 7 massacre today.
Israel launched their ground offensive into Lebanon this week as they continue to look to eliminate Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah from the Middle East.
The IDF announced the precise operations have already wrecked the Iranian proxy - blasting militants, weapons sites and infrastructure.
Their ground offensive was met with a strong reaction from arch rivals Iran who have invested billions in Hezbollah to train them up to help fight their battles.
Israel also says they have eliminated the "top three tiers" of Hezbollah's terror leadership.
Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant pledged "more surprises in store" for Hezbollah after the assassination of their leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Gallant said: "Hezbollah is receiving very severe blows, one after the other."
So far, ground clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been confined to a narrow strip along the border.
At least nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in battles as troops are advancing in southern Lebanon trying to wipe out Hezbollah fighters.
The new wave of strikes came after Israel issued another evacuation order for communities across southern Lebanon.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Thousands of civilians have already fled the country's south as the showdown between Hezbollah and Israel intensifies.
Israel expanded its no-go zone and told citizens to urgently leave 25 areas.
