She celebrated her ninth birthday while held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Now the Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand, who was initially thought to be dead, has been released by Hamas.
After 50 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip, a nine-year-old Irish girl who was initially thought to be dead was released by the terrorist organization Hamas. “Emily has come back to us!” her family wrote in a statement from the headquarters of the Forum of Hostages and Missing Persons.
“We cannot find words to describe our feelings after 50 difficult and complicated days. We are overjoyed to be able to hug Emily again.” Emily Hand had turned nine during her captivity, which was celebrated with a party in Dublin a week and a half ago.
After the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, the girl was initially thought to be dead. Her Irish-born father, Thomas Hand, tearfully expressed his relief in an emotional television interview that she had not fallen into the hands of Hamas because that would have been “worse than death.”
Video | Goosebumps moment after hostage release
Reunited in the hospital
It was later said that she might have been taken to Gaza as a hostage. Last week, Thomas Hand made an emotional appeal calling for his daughter’s release and said the family was experiencing a nightmare.
On Saturday evening, the Red Cross brought a total of 13 Israelis – including four German-Israelis – and four Thai citizens across the border into Egypt. After crossing the border, the hostages were flown to a hospital in Israel.
At the hospital, Emily was reunited with her father and two half-siblings, according to a report in the Irish Times. In one photo, the two are visibly happy sitting next to each other – Emily is holding a cuddly bear in her arms. According to media reports, the mother of the Irish-Israeli child died several years ago.
“A day of great joy”
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar wrote on “
Emily Hand’s family wrote in a statement on Saturday evening that their thoughts were with all the hostages who had not yet returned. “We will continue to do everything in our power to bring her home.”
24 hostages had already been released on Friday, including four German-Israelis. In its terrorist attack on October 7th, Hamas abducted a total of around 240 people into the Gaza Strip. Emily had been kidnapped from her home on a kibbutz.