Emily Damari at Hostages' Square: "I defeated captivity because the Holy One, blessed be He, was with me." 

Thousands participated last night (Saturday evening) in a rally for the families of the hostages across the country, calling for a deal to free the hostages from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Hostage survivor, Emily Damari, released in January 2025, spoke at the families' rally at the Eshkol Crossing and shared with those present: "I am not a hostage survivor - I am a hostage victor. I triumphed because I was not alone; the Holy One, blessed be He, was with me, and you were with me. Imagine threads of energy and love stretching from here to Gaza. Each of you was a small thread, and together you became a rope that pulled me out of the pit time and again."

Emily emphasized: "I cannot stand here and be silent regarding my Gali and Zivi, my beloved friends who are still held captive by Hamas and are going through hell. Every day they are not here is a day when my heart has two huge holes...I returned to Israel with shrapnel in my body. They caused me excruciating pain until they removed them at Sheba. The pain of the hostages is also shrapnel in the heart of our nation. Until we bring them out from there, we will not be able to recover."

She concluded: ""The war over the hostages is a war for our soul as a people. I came back because you didn't give up on me – now we won't give up on any of them," she added.