Emily Hand – the Israeli-Irish 9-year-old girl initially believed to have been killed by Hamas – was among 17 hostages freed from Gaza on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement explanation with.
She was released with the second group of hostages – 13 Israelis and four Thai nationals – after an initial hostage release on Friday, the first day of the temporary ceasefire.
Emily was among seven children aged 3 to 16 and six women aged 18 to 67 who were released in the second group, the prime minister’s office said.
Emily Hand, 9, was released to Israel after 50 days in captivity in Gaza. Courtesy of the family
Emily, who was 8 years old when she was kidnapped by Hamas during its terror attacks on Israel on October 7, was initially believed to have been killed by the militant group. She celebrated her ninth birthday in captivity in Gaza on November 17.
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Her father, Thomas Hand, told CBS News two days before his daughter’s birthday: “The sad thing is she doesn’t even know what day it is. She won’t know whether it’s night or day. She won’t,” even though it’s her birthday.
Hand said his little girl was staying with a friend at Kibbutz Be’eri at the time of the massacre. Israel said more than 100 people were killed in that community alone, including more than 1,200 killed in the Hamas attack.
That’s when her father, an Irish citizen who is not Jewish and who moved to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer three decades ago, was told by Israeli officials that his daughter had been killed. Hand initially told CBS News he was told “she was found dead.”
At the time, Hand told CNN he was relieved to learn that Emily was at least not in the hands of Hamas.
“The thought of a little eight-year-old child in the hands of these animals… Can you imagine the sheer horror for an eight-year-old child?”
Emily Hand, then 8, can be seen in a family photo with her father Thomas Hand. Courtesy of Thomas Hand
However, a few weeks later, Israeli authorities informed Hand that his daughter may still be alive because they had not found her remains at Kibbutz Be’eri.
The hand was full of hope. He called on governments around the world not to give up on the release of the hostages.
“It doesn’t matter how sick I am. It doesn’t matter how tired I am. We will get them back,” he told CBS News.
After 50 days of captivity in Gaza, Emily is now reunited with her family. In a statement to CBS News on Saturday, her family said: “Emily has returned to us! We cannot find words to describe our feelings after 50 challenging and complicated days.”
They added that while they were “overjoyed to hug Emily again,” they also remembered “all the hostages who haven’t returned yet.”
“We appreciate the unwavering support as we continue our efforts for the safe return of everyone,” the statement said.
— Elaine Cobbe and Analisa Novak contributed to this report.
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