'Our Tears Dripped Onto the Candles': Former Hostages Reflect on First Free Memorial Day Home

Wednesday, 30 April 2025 | On the eve of Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, several former hostages held by Hamas shared on social media how they observed last year’s nationwide moment of silence from inside Gaza. 

Former hostage Emily Damari, who marked 100 days since her release on Tuesday, wrote on Instagram that she and fellow captive Romi Gonen stood quietly at 11 a.m. last year, when Al-Jazeera announced Israel’s two-minute siren. “We decided to stand for a minute to remember everyone and share in the pain,” Damari said. “It was one of our most powerful moments there—when you’re down at the very bottom.” 

Damari, who was freed alongside Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher after 471 days in captivity, will light a torch at Wednesday’s Independence Day ceremony. She was abducted from her home in Kfar Aza on October 7, shot at close range and lost two fingers and suffered serious leg wounds. Since her return, she has campaigned for the release of all remaining hostages, especially her friends Gali and Ziv Berman, twin brothers who were also taken from Kfar Aza.

Fellow former hostage Liri Albag described how she and Agam Berger lit three memorial candles last year—one for Noam Avramovich, one for Shirat Yam Omer and one for the other lookout post soldiers who were killed. 

“We stood in silence as our tears dripped onto the candles so we would never forget them,” Albag wrote. “We prayed for the safety of Israel’s soldiers and security personnel, and for the country’s security.” 

Another former captive, Eliya Cohen, posted photos of 30 friends and family members he lost, calling it “a surreal reality” to attend all their funerals in a single day. “Each one of you is etched on my heart and in my soul,” he wrote. “I miss you all and will never forget you.”