Emily Damari releases photos from surgery under Hamas in Gaza

A year and a half after her release from 471 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza, freed hostage Emily Damari has published harrowing photographs collected by IDF forces operating in the Strip.

The images show her lying on an operating table at Gaza's Shifa Hospital, surrounded by a Gazan medical team and armed Hamas terrorists standing over her.

In a moving post published on Simchas Torah, three years after the Hamas massacre and mass abduction, Damari recounted the first terrifying moments after the attack and her kidnapping:

"Three years ago at this time on Simchas Torah, I was deep, deep inside the Gaza Strip," she wrote. "I was kidnapped together with Gali Berman, who was with me in the most frightening moments of my life, moments when I rediscovered the expression 'mortal fear.' The photos... Location: Shifa Hospital in the hands of the terrorists I will never forget."

Emily Damari in the operating room at Shifa Hospital (Photo released by Damari)

Damari described the inhuman and shocking conditions under which the "medical procedure" was carried out by Hamas operatives: "I'm inside a disgusting room full of blood, a corpse on the floor next to me, a 'doctor' approaches and introduces himself as Dr. Hamas, with another 10 monsters with Kalashnikovs over my head, and I'm just praying to G-d to protect me in this situation."

She made clear the scale of the medical and physical miracle that occurred during those dark hours: "People who understand a bit of medicine can understand from the photos that the fact I'm here at all is a miracle... Four months that my leg continued to bleed inside Gaza with an open gunshot wound, stitches that are supposed to be removed after 14 days stayed in my hand for 365 days. And here I am."

Damari concluded her moving words with deep gratitude to the Creator and to all who helped save and rehabilitate her: "Thank you to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, thank you to my family, thank you to the security forces for a real miracle, thank you that I survived the worst of all with the help of all those who were with me there and especially Romi Gonen, my sister! And thank you to the dear people of Israel who for a moment did not stop fighting for us so we could return to you, to hug you, to tell you and to rehabilitate with you forever. I love you and more than anything I love life. Simchas Torah 5787."