Released hostage Emily Damari, Oren Smadja among Independence Day ceremony torchbearers
This year's ceremony will mark Israel's 77th Independence Day with the theme "Bridges of Hope."
British-Israeli former hostage Emily Damari poses for a photo with her mother, Mandy, after being released from Gaza where she was held since the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on January 21, 2025.(photo credit: Damari family/Handout via REUTERS)Updated: