A British-Israeli hostage who was shot in the hand by Hamas gunmen and spent 15 months in captivity was in much better health than expected, her mother said, after she was released back to her family as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Emily Damari, 28, posed for photos with a bandaged hand at an Israeli military facility hours after her release on Sunday, and then took to social media on Monday to declare that she was “the happiest person in the world” after being reunited with her family.

Her mother, Mandy, thanked everyone who had helped bring Emily home and said she was “relieved to report” that Emily was “doing much better than any of us could have anticipated”.

She added: “I am also happy that during her release the world was given a glimpse of her feisty and charismatic personality.”