Brit Emily Damari is among the three hostages named on a list to be freed on the first day of the implementation of the ceasefire deal in Gaza between Hamas and Israel
A British woman is among the names of three Israeli hostages set to be released on the first day of the Gaza ceasefire.
Hamas has now given the name of British-Israeli Emily Damari along with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher who are due to be set free after the implementation of the agreement between Hamas and Israel was delayed by more than two hours.
The Israeli military had said it “continues to attack” inside the Gaza Strip in a dispute with Hamas over the names delayed the start of a planned ceasefire.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the military’s chief spokesman, said the truce would not begin until Hamas handed over the names of three hostages to be released later on Sunday, echoing an earlier statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The truce had been set to go into effect at 8:30am local time but now with the names given by Hamas the ceasefire appears to be back on course to begin at 11.15am in Israel (9.15am UK time).
Hamas blamed the delay in handing over the names on “technical field reasons.” It said in a statement that it is committed to the ceasefire deal announced last week.
Ms Damari was known to be among those at the top of the list to be released. She was shot in the hand and leg when she was taken by Hamas militants in southern Israel during the October 7 attack. Emily’s mother Mandy Damari, who was born in Surrey, has been campaigning for her release along with twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman, 27.
Last week, Orly Goldschmidt, spokesperson for the UK’s Israeli embassy, told Sky News: “Emily Damari, a 28-year-old British-Israeli citizen, is still in the dungeon of Hamas, and we are asking for the international support, for the British support, to put pressure on Hamas to release her and the other 100 hostages.”
Netanyahu said he had instructed the military that the ceasefire “will not begin until Israel has in its possession the list of hostages to be freed, which Hamas committed to provide.” He had issued a similar warning the night before. The ceasefire is set to pause the fighting after 15 months of war and see the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants in the Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israel’s Cabinet approved the deal early on Saturday.
Brokered by mediators the United States, Qatar and Egypt in months of indirect talks between the warring sides, the ceasefire is the second truce achieved in the devastating conflict.
The Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel killed some 1,200 people and left some 250 others captive. Nearly 100 hostages remain in Gaza. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants but say women and children make up more than half the dead.
