On January 19, 2025, Emily Damari, 28, was freed from Hamas captivity, along with Doron Steinbracher and Romi Gonen. After reuniting with her mother, she made a video call to her siblings and friends. During the call, she smiled and showed her bandaged hand. This gesture became a symbol for an entire nation, especially for the women kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas.
Emily was kidnapped on October 7 at her home in the Kfar Aza kibbutz. During the attack, she was shot in the hand, causing her to lose two fingers. She was then held in inhumane conditions in UNRWA buildings in Gaza for 471 days.
By raising her injured hand, Emily sent a silent yet powerful message: resilience and victory. Her gesture, symbolizing both the pain and the strength of a survivor of terrorism, also carries special meaning in American Sign Language: love.
This symbol inspired all of Israeli society. Figures such as Dor Peretz, a soccer player for Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Raz Hershko, an Olympic medalist and judoka, celebrated their victories by replicating this gesture. An emoji designed after Emily’s hand went viral, and one man even tattooed her bandaged palm as a tribute.
The department launched an online campaign among prominent influencers worldwide, such as Montana Tucker, runner Beatie Deutsch, Melida Strauss, and Shay Albrecht. In addition, the pin was distributed among opinion leaders for various events worldwide, such as with Tzipi Hotovely in England, at significant events among the Jewish community in the United States, and more. The pin resonated strongly in the United States, Latin America, and Europe thanks to the powerful and meaningful symbol it represents.
