Dani Amit and Emily Damari (Image: Instagram)[Missing Credit]
She further said on Instagram: “Three years ago at this time on Simchat Torah, I was deep, deep in the Gaza Strip. I was kidnapped together with the best friend I could ask for, Gali Berman, who came to be with me in the scariest moments of life. During this time, I rediscovered the expression ‘fear of death’.
“Thank you to the Holy One, thank you to my family, thank you to the security forces for a real miracle, thank you that I survived the worst with the help of all those who were with me there, especially Romi Gonen!
“And thank you to the dear people of Israel, [who] did not stop fighting for us... I love you and, more than anything, love life.”
Damari was among hundreds of people taken hostage during the attack, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 others abducted by Hamas into Gaza. While many hostages were later freed in ceasefire and prisoner exchanges, others died in captivity.
Eli Sharabi, 54, was taken from Kibbutz Be’eri into the terror tunnels of Gaza. His British-born wife Lianne and two daughters Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, were murdered by Hamas terrorists. His brother Yossi was taken hostage and murdered in Gaza.
He emerged from Gaza emaciated and skeletal after 491 days in captivity, in February 2025.
“I learned in captivity how precious every moment and every choice can be, and I carry that understanding with me now. I choose to look ahead, to keep going and to use the life I have in a meaningful way,” he said this week.
Since his release, in commemoration of his own family loss, he has helped establish the Shalva Sharabi Family Centre in Ashkelon, which treats families coping with trauma.
“I choose life. I choose to keep living fully, while carrying Lianne, Noiya, Yahel and Yossi with me in everything I do,” he said.
Eli Sharabi in Herzliya, October 20, 2025 (Credit: FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
The reflections come as the State of Israel lowered its flags to half-mast on Monday morning, at exactly 6.29am, the minute the attacks began in 2023, to mark the third anniversary of the massacre.
“We will carry their stories with us and educate generations of commanders and soldiers by their example,” IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Monday morning.
Speaking to soldiers at a memorial ceremony at Zikim military base, Zamir called on them to carry both the memory of the fallen and the lessons learned on October 7 into their service. “This is our duty to the fallen, our responsibility to the citizens of Israel and our vow to future generations.”
Hagar Brodutch, who was abducted with her three children and a neighbour's daughter who fled her home after her parents were killed, has also been trying to rebuild her life. She recently began pastry-making classes, seeing them as both therapy and a possible new career.
“The daily struggle is immense, especially for children. I believe it will take many more years before captivity becomes just a shadow that walks alongside us, rather than something that defines who we are,” said Brodutch.
“[The class] is about much more than learning how to bake. It is about finding a new path, creating something with my own hands, and slowly building a future.
“I chose pastry as a form of therapy, but also as a way to create something new for myself, with the hope that one day it could become my profession.”
Aviva Siegel, 65, was taken with her husband, Keith, from Kfar Aza. She was freed in November 2023, while he remained captive until February 2025. Their reunion, her children and grandchildren, and even strangers she meets give her strength every day, she says.
“I feel that I’m not alone and that there's so much love in this world, and we need to keep it with both our hands,” she said. “I feel very, very lucky to be alive.”
