A 9-year-old girl initially thought to have been killed when Hamas stormed the kibbutz on October 7 – an outcome her father said at the time was “the best possible” – was among 17 hostages released as part of Saturday’s temporary ceasefire.
Irish Israeli citizen Emily Hand has been held hostage for seven weeks since she was kidnapped when terrorists attacked Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel and killed more than 100 people.
“After weeks of trauma, this is a precious and deeply moving moment for the Hand family,” Irish Tánaiste Micheál Martin, the country’s second most senior official, said in a statement.
“The people of Ireland have been touched by Emily’s story, her innocence and the quiet dignity and determination of her father, Tom.”
Hand was one of 17 hostages — 13 Israelis and four Thais — released by Hamas on Saturday in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of a four-day ceasefire deal.
When Hand was captured by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel, her father Tom initially said it was a “blessing” that his daughter might be dead – but retracted that statement after realizing she might still be alive.
Emily Hand was taken hostage by Hamas forces on October 7 and was among 17 released exactly seven weeks later.AP Emily Hand (second from right) reunited with her father, Tom Hand (right) while Hila Rotem (second from left), whose mother still a hostage, reunited with family members. via Times of Israel
Hand told reporters that his death was “the best possibility,” describing what Hamas is doing to the people of Gaza as “worse than death.”
The father, who was born in Dún Laoghaire and is not Jewish, previously said his daughter was sleeping when terrorists sneaked into Kibbutz Be’eri and killed more than 100 people.
He was nine years old in custody on Nov. 17.
“I had the opportunity to meet Tom before traveling to the region, and I was moved by the strength and perseverance he used to free his daughter,” said Martin.
Tang falls in love with a member of the kibbutz who has two children. After the divorce, Tom married Emily’s mother, Liat, who died of breast cancer five years ago. He was reportedly in the process of applying for an Irish passport for Emily at the time of the attack.
Tom Hand with Orit Meir, mother of Almog Meir during a press conference by the families of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza last week. AFP via Getty Images Emily Hand was 9 years old on November 17 while in custody. AP
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Saturday that 17 hostages released by Hamas have returned to Israel.
The hostages have completed medical evaluations and are being escorted from Gaza through Egypt by Israeli special forces and officers from Shin Bet, Israel’s FBI.
The Israeli Prison Service announced that it released 39 Palestinian prisoners from three Israeli prisons. All of those released were women and minors from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Times of Israel.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
