A father who believed for weeks that his eight-year-old daughter was slaughtered by Hamas on October 7 has admitted he “regrets” originally saying he was “glad” she was dead.
Irish-Israeli Emily Hand was reportedly among at least 130 people killed in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where she had been staying at her friend’s house.
Her Irish father, Thomas Hand, initially said he was relieved to hear his daughter was dead because he was more afraid of how she would have been treated by Hamas terrorists and what conditions she would face in captivity.
Until he revealed this week that after a month of mourning, Israeli authorities had told his family that the student was likely a Hamas hostage being held somewhere in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Now Mr Hand has admitted regret over his words, saying he fears he may have “put her in danger”.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hand said: “In some ways I regret this interview.” Just because of some of the things I said. Some things that could have put her in danger.
But Mr Hand insisted he must “move on” and expressed his family’s desperate desire to get their little girl back.
“Now there is hope,” he said. “We can only hope that we get her back alive… We just want her back.” We want to see her again, love her again, hug her and kiss her again. “I will never let her out of my sight again,” he added.
Mr. Hand then recounted his despair at Emily celebrating her ninth birthday alone.
Irish-Israeli Emily Hand was reportedly among at least 130 people killed in the deadly massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri
He explained: “It’s her birthday this month, the 17th, and she won’t even know it.” No cake, no party, no friends.
“She will still be there, living in fear and terror every day,” he said.
Yesterday Mr Hand expressed his desperation to get his daughter back, telling Sky News: “We want to hug her again.” “We want to see her dance and sing again.”
Mr Hand, who is not Jewish and was born in Dún Laoghaire, near Dublin, described his daughter as an “innocent angel” whose passion was music.
Asked why it was initially a relief for the family when they were told Emily was dead, Mr Hand replied: “Because she [was] not go through what she’s going through now.
“It will break any normal human being, a month in captivity, in whatever conditions… so yeah, it was a relief at the time.”
“But now we are very, very happy,” he continued, “that there is a chance that she will live and get out of the situation, no matter how broken she is physically or mentally.”
“We have to fix them. It will take years, but we want them back.”
He said if there was one thing he could tell Emily it would be to “be strong.” “We know you are strong, come back,” he said.
Emily’s half-sister Nathalie told Sky that she had received a video of the little girl hiding in a safe room the morning Hamas launched its bloody invasion of southern Israel
In a heartbreaking interview, Mr Hand expressed his family’s desperate desire to get their little girl back
He added that despite her young age, his daughter has “amazing inner strength and spirit.”
Through tears, he said that if his daughter actually made it home safely, “I won’t let her out of my sight… I just want to hold her and never let go.”
Revealing details of the painstaking investigation at the massacre site, Mr Hand said he had been told there was no evidence his daughter had been killed there.
He said no blood was found around or near the house that matched the DNA of Emily or her friend: “We assume they were trafficked to Gaza.”
He added that two mobile phones belonging to Emily’s friend and her mother were tracked to Gaza, which he said was just an “indicator” as the phones could have easily been stolen.
Emily’s half-sister Nathalie told Sky that she had received a video of the little girl hiding in a safe room the morning Hamas launched its bloody invasion of southern Israel.
Emily Hand, a young Irish-Israeli girl, is believed to have been one of at least 130 people killed in the deadly massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri
Pictured: Emily Hand. The eight-year-old girl was staying at a friend’s house on Friday, October 6, said her father, Thomas
“We are in the safe room with our toys,” the little girl reportedly said in the clip broadcast before they lost contact.
Mr Hand said he now finds it difficult to imagine where Emily might be, suggesting the terrorist group may be holding her in its network of tunnels.
He said the family began the grieving process when they were told Emily was probably not dead.
“I went from feeling like the nightmare was over to like, ‘Okay, me, I’m back.’ “Now we’re all in it again,” he said.
Ireland’s Justice Minister Helen McEntee said this week that the government was doing everything in its power to support Emily’s family.
Ms McEntee told RTE: “This is an extremely traumatic situation for her family and for any family who find themselves with their loved one hostage.”
“We are doing everything we can to support these and other families and ensure people can return safely to their families.”
“We have called on Hamas from the beginning to release any hostages.” And of course every effort has been made to support Irish citizens where they are involved.”
Israeli tanks cross the border from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel
Palestinians search for injured people in Magazi refugee camp after Israeli airstrikes
Smoke rises from Gaza as the war continues to unfold
Hamas terrorists from Gaza stormed into Israel by the thousands and slaughtered civilians in the border region surrounding the area. Israel said around 1,400 people were killed, marking the deadliest terrorist attack in the country’s history.
Gunmen shot and burned families in their own homes. According to officials, children and even babies were found shot in cold blood and even decapitated.
In response, Israel waged a relentless bombardment and siege of Gaza, killing thousands and leaving millions with rapidly dwindling supplies.
They also launched a ground offensive and have now surrounded Gaza City, which was home to around 1.1 million people before the war. Many have now fled south.
The Health Ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says more than 9,770 people, including many women and children, have been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign in the month since the attack.
Last month Mr Hand told the Irish Times about his daughter: “She was a little angel and she actually looked like an angel.” She was very, very outgoing and she loved music.
“She sang around the house all day and loved dancing.” She watched videos of Beyoncé; She was their favorite and learned the moves very quickly.
“She was always chosen to dance on the kibbutz stage during the holidays – always front and center, so that when the other children forgot the steps, they could just look at Emily. ‘She was extraordinary.’
So far, five hostages have been released, four of them after negotiations through a diplomatic back channel and one after an operation by the Israeli army.