The finish of 417 days of anguish: Three moms of the launched Israeli hostages anxiously await the arrival of their daughters – as freed Emily Damari’s mum thanks ‘everybody who by no means stopped saying her title’

The mothers of the released Israeli hostages have been seen anxiously awaiting the arrival of their daughters as they make their way to hospitals to be treated.

It comes as Romi Gonen, 24, Doron Steinbrecher, 31, Emily Damari, 28, were the first hostages to be handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas in Gaza this afternoon. 

Their release forms part of the first phase of the ceasefire and hostages agreement between Israel and Hamas. 

In the video, released by the IDF, the three mothers were seen at the absorption point with the head of the Human Resources Division, Major General Dado Bar Khalifa, watching their daughters return to Israel.

The Israeli Health Ministry and Hostages Forum have little to no knowledge of the three women’s conditions and so hospitals are being prepared, as well as mental health professionals, to support them as they arrive back into Israel.

According to The Times of Israel, the country is preparing for many hostages to have ‘severe, life-threatening complications’ as a result of spending over a year in captivity in the Gaza strip. 

Hagai Levine, head of the health team at the Hostages Forum, told the news site that he expects the hostages to return with cardiovascular and respiratory issues due to lack of ventilation in the tunnels.

Six hospitals have been prepared with dedicated suites for the hostages arrival, including two in the south of Gaza, for those with acute medical issues.

Mandy Damari has faced an agonising wait of 471 days to be reunited with her daughter after the 28-year-old was kidnapped during the October 7 attacks in 2023. 

The 63-year-old, who grew up in Beckenham, south-east London, has fiercely campaigned for her daughter’s freedom.

To keep her going, Mandy has woken every day, giving her daughter an imaginary hug and sending her a virtual message to ‘Keep strong, keep alive’ and telling her, ‘you are going to be OK.’ 

She describes the past 15 months as ‘a nightmare, living a life like this.’ She adds: ‘What she’s been feeling there – who knows. It must have been ten times worse for her than it has been for me.’ 

Emily is the youngest of four siblings and is the light and life of her family and friends. 

Her mother Mandy says of Emily: ‘Her unforgettable smile and cheeky and quick sense of humour light up every room she enters, and she is the consummate daughter, sister, and friend. Her house is always full of people, whether hosting the best BBQs on the kibbutz or just serving up a cup of tea.’ 

One of her defining physical features is a tattoo on her left arm which says, ‘My mum is always right’. She was saving up to have enough money to go travelling, the USA and Japan were top of her bucket list.

After nearly 500 torturous days, Mandy is desperate to finally be able to give Emily that hug she has dreamt of giving her for so long.

‘But it’s not over. My nightmare is still going on until I see Emily and all the other 98 hostages back in Israel with their families.

‘I have more hope now than I’ve had in the last 15 months. It would be the most wonderful feeling in the world if she comes back, the most wonderful feeling.

‘But I won’t believe it until I see and feel it for myself.’

Lawyers for the families of British and British-linked hostages confirmed the news of Ms Damari’s release.

In a post on X, Adam Wagner and Adam Rose said: ‘We are delighted that our client, Emily Damari, has finally been released, after over 15 months of captivity by Hamas terrorists. We cannot wait to meet her.

‘We are thankful to everyone who has played parts in campaigning for her release, including the British government who have provided support over the past 15 months.

‘We request now that the family is allowed some peace and space.

‘We continue to call for the speedy return of the other four hostages with strong British connections and for whom we act, Eli Sharabi, Yossi Sharabi (deceased), Oded Lifshitz and Avinatan Or, and of all of the other hostages.’

An emotional video posted on social media also shows Ms Gonen’s friends jumping for joy after finding out she is expected to be released today. 

Emily, a Spurs fan, was born in Kfar Aza and lived on the kibbutz her whole life, but visits England regularly. Her mother grew up in Beckenham before moving to Israel in her 20s where she met Emily’s father and they had three children together in Kfar Aza.

Arsenal and Tottenham football fans united in support of Emily at the North London derby on Wednesday. 

Her mother Mandy tweeted her appreciation for the support, saying: ‘I know that you don’t agree on very much, which makes it even more special that you have come together to say ‘bring her home’.’ 

Emily Cohen, who represents Ms Damari’s family, said earlier in the afternoon: ‘These final few hours have been the most agonising that you can imagine, after nearly 500 days of unending torment for Mandy and all the other families.’

She reiterated pleas to respect Mandy Damari’s privacy, adding: ‘I know she wants everyone to know how deeply grateful she is to the British public, MPs, football supporters and strangers from around the world, who have been praying and campaigning for Emily’s release.’

Stephen Brisley, whose brother-in-law is also a hostage, bonded with Ms Damari’s family over their shared experiences, and said he cried when he saw she had been named as one of the hostages to be released.

Mr Brisley, who is originally from Bristol but lives in South Wales, said: ‘I’m not ashamed to say that I shed more than a few tears a couple of hours ago when it was confirmed, particularly that Emily was coming out, because I have that personal connection with Mandy, her mum, and have spent time with her and with members of her wider family, her aunt and uncle.

‘I know what this means to them, and so I’m incredibly pleased and joyous for them.’

The release of the three hostages marks the first step in a ceasefire deal that UK politicians have described as ‘fragile’.

Cabinet minister Darren Jones said the UK is ‘hopeful’ about the ceasefire, but added: ‘There’s much more work to be done.’

Asked how confident he is that it will hold, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury told Times Radio: ‘We’re certainly very hopeful. It’s great that we’ve gotten to this position where a ceasefire has begun.

‘Clearly it’s fragile, clearly there’s much more work to be done. We want the hostages released back to Israel, for the fighting to stop, as we said, from the very start of this conflict.

‘Then the most immediate priority will be making sure that the aid that has been put together is able to be released into Gaza to support the people who desperately are in need of it.

‘Then we have that small window of opportunity, that hope that we might be able to get all the parties around the table once again, to focus on a permanent, two-state solution that could prevent this type of war and terrorism from returning to the region in the future.’

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel urged all parties to ‘stick with the plan that has been outlined’.

She told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: ‘The three hostages, Emily is clearly one of them, and her mother, Mandy – many of us have met Mandy, we know the family – but just the sheer anxiety and apprehension that they’ll be feeling, it’s just extraordinary.’

Dame Priti went on to describe the ceasefire deal as ‘vital’, adding: ‘All parties are calling for it. Countries are calling for it. There’s a lot of hope that is really linked to this new deal and framework.

‘I think everyone will urge both sides to stick with the plan that has been outlined, recognising it’s difficult, it’s very sensitive. We need to see the hostages released in this first phase, others to come out and clearly then work together in a constructive way for a better future for the region.’

He told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: ‘Our advice has always been until somebody is in your arms and being hugged and they’re alive and well, you have to assume that nothing is happening. And, I suppose, prepare for the worst. 

‘But hopefully Emily is well. Hopefully Emily will come out this afternoon. Hopefully she’ll be given medical care and then she’ll be hugged.’ 

Mr Rose said Emily’s mother Mandy has not had any contact with her daughter. He added: ‘None of the hostage families know anything about any of their family members. 

‘There have been one or two signs of life over the past 13/14 months, since the November 23 short ceasefire and releases of hostages, where we found out things. 

‘There are 98 hostages – of whom we know a significant number are dead – still being held. We believe that a majority, according to the Israeli authorities, of the 33 on the current list are alive, but we don’t know who is alive and who is dead.’ 

On day 150 of her abduction, the brother of hostage Doron Steinbrecher – who is also set to be released today – said he was frightened for his sister’s health.

‘My sister was kidnapped from here […] from her apartment, from her safe home, from the place that was supposed to be her safe place,’ he said in a public statement. 

‘On that day, Saturday morning, Doron called my mum crying, and told her ‘mum, I’m scared, I’m hiding under the bed, and I hear the terrorists trying to enter my apartment’. 

‘The call was disconnected and we were unable to contact her again.’ 

Discussing footage released by Hamas at the time, the brother said: ‘In this video you can see that Doron is alive, and this gives us hope and more strength to keep fighting for her. But on the other hand, she looks tired, weak, and seems to have lost weight. 

‘It makes us worried that she’s barely sleeping, not getting enough food, and probably not getting the medication she needs to take.’ 

The UK Government has welcomed reports that Emily is on the list of hostages to be released today, a Foreign Office spokesperson said, adding: ‘We stand ready to support her upon her release.’ 

Families of British-linked hostages said they were ‘filled with trepidation’ ahead of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel coming into effect.

The agreement will mean a ceasefire in Gaza that would release dozens of hostages and pause the 15-month war with Hamas.

It was approved by Israel’s Cabinet early on Saturday morning after weeks of negotiations in Qatar.

Adam Ma’anit, who lives in Brighton, said his cousin Tsachi Idan is on the list of hostages set to be released in the opening phase of the truce, and spoke of his cautious hope for his safe return.

The 51-year-old said: ‘I think I’m feeling every spectrum of human emotion all at once, in the sense that I am incredibly anxious, filled with trepidation, but also optimism.

‘But I can’t allow myself to be overly invested in that optimism because we’ve been here before where a deal seemed imminent and things were looking up and our hopes and dreams and desires were about to be coming true, and our loved ones returned to us, and then we would have them crashed down into the reality of collapsed negotiations and the grim prospect of months more uncertainty.

‘So I think it’s important to be sanguine about the deal and realise that it could potentially happen, but not to be overly invested in it so much that we hurt ourselves mentally.’

Mr Idan, who will be 51 in April, witnessed his eldest daughter’s murder before he was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The family have hope that he is still alive, although Mr Ma’anit said Hamas claimed he was dead in a video published last January.

‘There’s no intelligence to say that he’s dead, let’s put it that way, other than Hamas claiming he is without showing us any evidence of it,’ Mr Ma’anit said.

‘And so since January 2024 we’ve been operating under the assumption, perhaps naively, perhaps stubbornly, perhaps overly optimistically, but doggedly so that he’s still alive. We still hope that’s the case.’

On Thursday, Noa Argamani, who was held captive for more than 200 days before being rescued, gave an emotional address about her boyfriend Avinatan Or at the Nova Music Festival exhibition in Miami.

Mr Or, whose mother is a British-Israeli citizen, remains a hostage.

According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, Ms Argamani said: ‘I know that Avinatan is still there, and my heart breaks to think that he will continue to be there until the second stage of this deal.

‘This is why it is absolutely critical that we put an end to this horrible tragedy and bring all the hostages home.

‘My journey is far from over. My partner Avinatan is still there. His clothes that are in my closet are still waiting for him to wear them. We were just beginning to build our lives together.

‘I wait for Avinatan. I wait for the day I can feel whole again, but until he comes home, I am not truly free.

‘There are still 98 hostages, just like him, 98 families in this endless nightmare. Until Avinatan returns, my heart is in captivity.’

Under the deal, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Hamas has agreed to free three female hostages on day one of the deal, four on day seven and the remaining 26 over the following five weeks.

Palestinian detainees are to be released as well.

Israel’s justice ministry published a list of more than 700 prisoners who are to be freed in the deal’s first phase and said the release will not begin before 4pm local time on Sunday.