Yedioth Achronot did an exclusive interview with Emily Damari and Romi Gonen, two female hostages who forged bonds in Hamas captivity, yet continue together on the journey to recovery in their rehabilitation center.
By Rachel Avraham
Emily Damari, a British Israeli citizen who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7th and was released from Hamas captivity during the recent hostage deal, told Yedioth Achronot, “I’m sitting on my destroyed sofa on the porch, explaining to Romi the details of the kidnapping process she already knows by heart. But now, it’s real. Tangible. There’s no way to describe the moment. To walk into the homes that were once my air, my refuge—and see them in ruins, to see the community shattered—it’s heartbreaking. Explaining everything to Romi from within those houses was chilling. It was a very powerful and meaningful moment for both of us.”
She continued, “To remember that moment—when Gali (Berman) was sitting at one end of the couch and Ziv (his twin brother) was across the street—and I realized we were about to be kidnapped… all I could do, while sitting there shot in the leg and arm, was hold on and stay as clear-headed as possible, just to understand what was happening.”
Romi Gonen related in the interview, “I heard about Kfar Aza for 431 days. All the stories, all the people—I already knew everything. To arrive there with Emily and watch her as we walked, house by house… Suddenly she’d say the name of someone who lived in a home, and I’d finish the story. And everyone around us was in shock—how on earth did I know all that? During the days in captivity, I got to know Emily’s friends as if they were my own. And when we got to their homes, my heart broke. I’m glad she chose me to be with her during such a sad and painful moment—and that I could be there as a source of strength for her.”
Romi continued, “In Gaza, there were a lot of questions—would my arm work again? Would it not? What would happen with my fingers? One thing was certain: none of us imagined how severe the injury actually was. I never expected to undergo a 13.5-hour surgery that was originally estimated at 8 to 10 hours. I never imagined they’d have to sacrifice the function of my leg in order to save my arm. I didn’t think I’d need months of rehabilitation or that I’d face multiple surgeries, not just one. But I’ll get through it—this is what I waited for.”
According to her, “Imagine sitting for a year and five months with an arm injury that renders you completely unable to function and in constant, severe pain. You’d act just like me. I’m strong, and I’m going to fight through this rehab like a beast until my arm regains as much function as it possibly can. The rehabilitation is incredibly tough—physically and emotionally. I meet many wounded soldiers here, and I get so moved by them I can barely speak.”
Emily then related in the interview, “Everyone knows that Romi and I were together for 431 days, but in truth, we never actually spent a moment apart. It started on October 7, after the horrific surgeries we underwent in Gaza. We both woke up from anesthesia in Al Shifa Hospital. She overheard the doctor tell me I’d lost two fingers, and I responded, “Okay,” because really—what else can you say? Then Romi asked me what my name was. I answered and asked hers in return. When she said she was from Kfar Vradim, I panicked—I thought Hamas had reached the north.”
According to her, “Thirty-nine days later, we met again in the tunnels—and from then on, we were never apart. The friendship between me and Romi, the mutual support, everything we went through together—there are no words, no explanation that could possibly do it justice.”
Emily related how Romi has helped her as she recovers: “When we did the laundry, it was one of her hands and one of mine. When we washed the dishes, it was one of her hands and one of mine. When we let off steam by kickboxing each other, it was one of her hands and one of mine—until it ended in tears because we hit the injured hand.”
According to Emily, “To me, Romi is like a twin. Just like people say twins feel everything each other feels—so did we. When she wasn’t doing well, I could feel it, and vice versa. Even after we got out, we weren’t separated. We were in rooms next to each other at the hospital, then at the hotel, then during surgery, and now in rehab together. While the rest of the world is moving on, Romi and I are still living October 7, still putting together our pieces, still healing, still hurting, still comforting each other—like an oxygen tube for one another.”
Emily proclaimed, “Thank God He put this strong Romi Gonen on the path with me. I’ve been blessed with a remarkable woman, full of love and generosity. Her spirit, combined with mine, was our strength—both above ground and below.”
Romi feels likewise about Emily: “A shared destiny—for those who believe in fate, and even for those who don’t. To me, it feels like fate brought Emily and me together—or maybe Gaia Khalifa, of blessed memory, sent her to fill the hole torn in my heart. (Gaia Khalifa was Romi’s close friend who was murdered on October 7th, who still appears in her dreams.) Two wounded girls, two working hands, and two souls bleeding. That’s how our journey began.”
According to Romi, “God didn’t bring us together by accident. I needed her, and she needed me. We woke up each morning in hell and made the decision to grow from it together, just to survive. We fought with everything we had to get through each and every minute. We experienced unspeakable horrors, and still, we went to sleep at night grateful that we were still together. We were in a place where nothing else mattered, except not being separated.”
Romi explained to Yedioth Achronot, “Emily was the light at the end of my tunnel when I lost hope. When I collapsed on the floor, she picked me up with a smile. When I cried until I couldn’t breathe, she wiped my tears. When I ached for my mother, she hugged me tight and didn’t let go.”
In the Yedioth Achronot interview, both Romi and Emily related that they have done different activities in order to try and heal from their trauma. One of them was to go and visit their destroyed communities. One of them was to go to a Maccabi soccer game together. One of them was to visit a safari. Emily claimed that the therapeutic treatment with the animals was quite effective: “no treatment matched the healing power of our time with the animals.” Another activity the two did was to visit Hostage Square, so that they can be empowered to fight for those still held hostage in Gaza.
Romi related, “Sometimes dreams do come true. For us, it actually happened. Not a day went by that I didn’t dream of coming home—about seeing everyone again, breathing fresh air, feeling the sun on my face, experiencing life itself. On nights when I dreamed of my family, I’d wake up with a burning sense of longing—in my stomach, in my heart, deep in my soul. Sometimes the dreams were warm and full of love. Other times, they were filled with anger and disappointment. There were nightmares too—ones that left me drenched in sweat and gasping for air.”
According to her, “There’s one dream I remember especially well. I dreamt I was finally back home, standing in the shopping center in my hometown. News of my return spread, and everyone was overjoyed, celebrating. My family was around me, crying, overwhelmed with emotion. I noticed two girls crying off to the side. When I asked them what was wrong, I realized their brother had been taken hostage in exchange for my release. Tears filled my eyes, a lump rose in my throat—but I hugged them and told them everything would be okay, that he’d come home soon.”
Romi concluded, “I woke from that dream to the harsh reality of lying on the floor, surrounded by three Hamas gunmen. I understood I wasn’t going home any time soon. My family was mostly with me in my dreams. During the rest of the time, I tried not to think about them too much—so I wouldn’t collapse. Tried being the key word.”
Both Romi and Emily have a long journey ahead of them until their wounds, both psychical and psychological, are fully healed. However, at the very least, the two of them have each other, as they undergo this important journey of recovery.
Photo from StandWithUs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgDTQODK6u8
