Mrs Damari – who describes her daughter as a Spurs football fan who loves coming to the UK to visit family, go shopping and visit pubs – is disappointed with the British government.
She is currently in the UK meeting political leaders, including the prime minister.
But she described the government’s recent decision to back a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as not doing enough to ensure the release of the hostages. The draft did demand their release, but it was vetoed by the US, which said it did not make that a precondition for a ceasefire.
“I felt really like they were stabbing me in the heart. There was no prerequisite to release the hostages… It was basically signing a death warrant for her [Emily], because if there’s a ceasefire with no release of the hostages, the hostages will stay there forever,” Mrs Damari said.
She now wants them to do more.
“I really need the British government if they are not able to get her released immediately, at least to get her humanitarian aid or a sign of life, and let me know what’s happening with that, because I’m desperate for a sign of life.”
She added: “We talk about humanitarian aid all the time to Gaza, but I don’t hear about humanitarian aid for the hostages who are held in despicable conditions. I’m desperate to get humanitarian aid into her, for someone to see her. It’s a human right to allow to allow people to see what’s happening to her.”
Mrs Damari initially did not speak out publicly about her daughter because she trusted the governments and negotiators to get her released. But now she wants the British public to understand a dual citizen is being held.
“She is the only British hostage being held… and I want people to help me to get her out, to be her voice because she can’t call out for herself. She has no voice.”
More than 44,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a military campaign in response to the 7 October attack, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.