FREED British hostage Emily Damari has celebrated the first anniversary of her release from Gaza’s terror tunnels by getting engaged to her girlfriend.
Emily Damari, 29, endured 471 days in Hamas terror tunnels and lost two fingers when she was shot in the hand as she was abducted on October 7.
She told how she hid her sexuality from her captors, saying her being gay would have been “worse than them knowing I was Jewish or Israeli”.
But the brave Brit has now defied her captors again by going down on one knee to propose to her influencer partner Danielle Amit in front of delighted pals.
The moment – on the January 19 anniversary of Emily’s release – was captured in pictures and video posted on Instagram today.
Before proposing Emily revealed she had been unable to resume her life until the release of her friends Gali and Ziv Berman, who were also grabbed by Hamas savages at the Kfar Aza kibbutz.
She said: “Before they came back, everything was different. I was torn up, sad and weak.”
Spurs fan Emily, who grew up in South East London, first went public with her relationship last year, months after she was freed from Gaza.
The happy couple were snapped kissing after getting engaged in front of cheering pals at a party to celebrate her first year of freedom.
Emily was also presented with a cake with a number one candle on top to mark the anniversary.
Speaking on the major milestone, Emily said: “Today marks one full year since I walked free – since I stepped out of that dark nightmare and back into the light, wrapped in our Israeli flag, raising my hand high as a sign that they could never break me.
“I hugged my mum, I breathed real air, I saw the sun without fear. That moment, that first real breath of freedom, still hits me every single day.”
She has undergone complex surgery to repair life changing wounds to her hand and leg but bravely insisted recently that her scars “represent freedom and hope”.
Emily – who has dual British-Israeli nationality – gave a defiant salute with her bullet-ravaged hand as she was finally freed on January 19 last year as part of a ceasefire deal.
She has vowed “live louder, stronger and prouder” following her escape from the clutches of Hamas fiends.
The brave Ed Sheeran fan was among the first three captives to be freed from a list of 33 over a six-week period.
Hamas thugs marched her through a riled-up crowd of masked gun-toting militants and supporters of the terror group.
Concerning footage showed Emily being pulled out of a van alongside fellow Israeli captives Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher as she was finally let go.
All of the living hostages snatched on October 7 have now been freed with only one murdered captive, Ran Gvili, yet to be handed back to his family.
Donald Trump has vowed to do “everything we can” to secure the release of Ran.
Sergeant Gvili was taken hostage and later died after bravely fighting Hamas terrorists on October 7 despite being off work at the time with a broken shoulder due to a motorbike crash.
The US announced last week that they are now moving towards phase 2 of the Gaza peace plan.
This is set to consist of the reconstruction of Gaza while also marking the full demilitarisation and disarmament of Hamas.
The terror group has vowed to hold on to many of its weapons with both sides continuing to accuse eachother of numerous ceaefire violations in 2026 already.
US envoy Steve Witkoff warned: “The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations.
“Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
This week, US President Donald Trump unveiled a jaw-dropping Gaza “master plan” at the signing ceremony for his new Board of Peace.
His son in law Jared Kushner revealed mock-ups of giant skyscrapers and a map setting out phases of Gaza’s transformation.
Dubbed “Project Sunrise”, the plan to rebuild war-torn Gaza was leaked last month.
The US wants to make it an international destination featuring swanky hotels and beach resorts, high-speed rail and AI-optimised smart grid features.
What happened on October 7?
ON October 7 2023, militants of Hamas and other Palestinian nationalist groups launched co-ordinated armed attacks in the Gaza Envelope of southern Israel.
The perpetrators had managed to bypass Israeli defences to para-glide across the border, in what became the first invasion of the territory since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The horror coincided with the Jewish celebration of Simchat Torah, and initiated the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
A barrage of around 4,300 rockets were launched on Israel from the Gaza Strip in the early hours of October 7 before vehicles and powered paragliders crossed the border.
The Hamas fighters attacked military bases and massacred civilians in 21 communities, including Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, Netiv Haasara, and Alumim.
The first civilian attack started at 6.29am at the Nova Music Festival site at Re’im, just three miles from Gaza.
More than 360 revellers were cut down as they desperately tried to flee.
Across October 7, an estimated 1,139 people were massacred and another 250 civilians and soldiers were taken hostage into Gaza.
