Damari also met a survivor of the Bondi Beach attack, Elon, who survived being shot six times on the day and spent more than 10 days in a coma.
Former hostage Emily Damari meets with Elon, survivor of the Bondi Beach terror attack (Credit: X)[Missing Credit]
Whilst in the country, Damari appeared to mock the idea of LGBT support for Gaza.
Speaking to an audience at a synagogue in Caufield, Australia, Damari recounted asking one of her captors what he would do if his brother were gay.
“He was like straight to the answer; I’d kill him,” Damari said.
She said she “feels for those people, you know, queers for Palestine, Palestine not for queers,” to laughs from the audience.
Damari hid her own sexual orientation from her captors during her 471 days in Gaza.
She was released on January 19, 2025, as part of a ceasefire agreement. On January 22, 2026, during a celebration marking the first anniversary of her release, she announced her engagement to her partner, Amit.
Damari was abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Afza on October 7 and was shot in the left hand, losing the two middle fingers and giving rise to her now signature three-finger hand gesture, which became an iconic symbol of her defiance used in Israel and around the world.
Her captivity and subsequent release attracted widespread international media attention, becoming a central focus of advocacy efforts and public campaigns in both the UK and Israel.
Her mother, Mandy Damari, spearheaded a highly visible campaign calling for her freedom, garnering support from figures such as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Tottenham Hotspur fans – Emily’s favourite team – and the general public.
