Mandy Damari recognised by Daily Telegraph after being ‘overlooked by the BBC’

Mandy Damari. Photo: Mark Thomas

The mother of British hostage Emily Damari has been named as a ‘woman of the year’ by the Daily Telegraph. 

The newspaper’s lineup of 13 women was created to “redress the balance” of a BBC list, according to Telegraph journalist Michael Deacon, which promoted the broadcaster’s “own stridently progressive view of the world”, and controversially included a male scientist.

Mandy Damari is the mother of 28-year old Emily Damari, held hostage since her kidnap into Gaza by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Last week she visited the UK to encourage diplomatic efforts to free her daughter, the last British hostage held captive.

The 63-year-old, who expressed disappointment with foreign secretary David Lammy after he failed to call publicly for aid to the Israeli captives hours after she appealed directly to him, is lauded by the Telegraph for “tirelessly campaigning for her daughter’s release”.

The paper added: “She would, therefore, have made a strong candidate for the BBC’s list. Instead, however, it chose an Israeli woman who blames Israel’s own government for “failing to find a way to bring the hostages home”. What a curious decision. I wonder why the BBC did that.”

Also on the Telegraph’s list are HRH Princess of Wales, columnist Allison Pearson, headteacher Katherine Birbalsingh and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.