'It's breaking my heart more each day. Soon there'll be nothing left of my heart...or Emily'

THE despairing mother of the only British hostage left in Gaza last night said: "Soon there will be nothing left of my heart or her."

- Giles Sheldrick

During Hamas's cross-border killing spree exactly a year ago, Emily Damari, 28, was snatched from her home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza near the Gaza border.

Emily's beloved golden cockapoo Choocha was killed while she was shot in the hand.

Her mum Mandy, 63, said: "It is breaking my heart a little more, day by day. Soon there will be nothing left of my heart-or Emily."

The nursery school teacher, who has spent the past year travelling the world lobbying for Emily's release, penned a letter to her daughter which she passed to Sir Keir Starmer in the hope the PM could help.

It said: "Dear Emily. I hope this note gets to when you are alive and home with me, Abba [Hebrew for daddy] and all your family. And you'll see that we are all alive.

"If it gets to you in Gaza, know that we all love you and miss you and are sick with worry about what is happening to you every day and we are praying and meeting whoever we can to get you back home.

Bravery

"Please keep strong, keep praying and just be your beautiful self that I love to the moon and back. You will come home. And I promise that I'll never complain again about your perfume sticking to me.