Irish father of Israeli girl Emily Hand says she survived almost two months in Hamas captivity by running from house to house in Gaza to escape falling missiles – and she now speaks in a whisper because she has been conditioned not to make noise.
“She’s a very determined, very strong little girl, I know that her spirit will get her through this,” Thomas Hand told CNN of 9-year-old Emily, who was released on Saturday as part of the second day of the truce. agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The father said the young girl was forced to run from house to house with her captors when the Israeli army attacked Gaza.
“That’s scary. Pulled, dragged, pushed … under fire maybe,” he said.
Emily told her father that “‘no one hit us” during her 50 days in captivity, but the child could only draw and play cards — and was warned not to make any noise.
“The most surprising and disturbing part of meeting him is that he just whispers, you can’t hear him. I had to put my ear to his lips. He’s been conditioned not to make any noise … You can just see the spectacled fear,” Hand said.
Thomas Hand, 63, was reunited with his daughter Emily at the weekend. Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Images
When asked how long she thought she had been gone, Emily replied “a year,” her heartbroken father said.
“Other than a whisper, it was a punch in the guts. A year,” he said.
Emily was released with her friend Hila Rotem-Shoshani. The girls were detained along with Hila’s mother, Raaya, who is still believed to be held in Hamas custody in the Gaza Strip.
“[Raaya] took care of them like his own two children” until they were separated two days before the girls were released, he told the outlet.
Emily, 9, was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7. AP
Hand, 63, made international headlines last month when he was initially told that Emily – who was sleeping at Hila’s home in Kibbutz Be’eri when Hamas attacked on October 7 – had been killed.
At the time, the grieving father told reporters that his daughter’s death was “the best possibility.”
However, a few weeks later, Hand learns that none of the bodies in Be’eri have been identified as Emily’s — and she is now believed to be a hostage in Gaza.
The two shared an emotional reunion Saturday, Hand said.
Emily (left) was returned with her friend Hila Rotem, 13. via REUTERS
“Suddenly the door opened and he kept running. It was beautiful, as I imagined, running together. I probably squeezed it too hard,” he told CNN.
The family’s joy, however, is contradicted by the slow revelation of what Emily endured during her eight weeks in Gaza.
“It was only when she pulled back that I could see her face sculpted, like mine, whereas before it was a chubby, feminine, child’s face,” Hand said of her daughter – who also came home with lice.
On the way home, however, “the first thing he did was put on a Beyoncé song,” Hand said.
Emily (second from right) was kept safe by Hila’s mother, according to her father (right). Mother is still in captivity. via the Times of Israel
Emily and Hila are now looking for each other, he continued.
They celebrated Hila’s 13th birthday with a cake at the hospital on Monday and also held a cake for Emily’s ninth birthday, which she spent in Gaza on Nov. 17.
Emily lost her mother when she was 2 years old, Hand explained.
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When he returns, he is also faced with the death of his “second mother,” Hand’s ex-wife, Narkis Hand, who was killed by terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri.
“That was very difficult. We told him and his little eyes lit up and he took a sharp breath,” Hand recalled.
Hand and her daughter shared a happy reunion after she was initially told that he had been killed. French Israeli AP Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was also returned from Hamas custody over the weekend. via REUTERS
Hand said he was also worried Emily would be angry that he didn’t save her from the terrorist attack.
At their reunion, however, Emily tells her father that she fears he has been taken hostage as well
“Last night she cried until her face was red and splotchy, she couldn’t stop. He doesn’t want any comfort, I think he forgot how to be comforted. He went under the bed covers, blankets, covered himself, and quietly cried,” said Hand.
“We will only know what he really went through when he opens up. I want to know so much information … but you have to let them, when they’re ready, release it.”
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Thomas Hand’s concern for his daughter is similar to that of Devora Cohen, who told France’s BFMTV that his 12-year-old nephew, Eitan Yahalomi, was forced to watch the video of the October 7 attack while he was being held.
“[If the children cried] they threatened them with guns to shut them up,” Cohen claimed.
“When he arrived in Gaza, all the residents, everyone, beat him. He is a 12-year-old child,” he added.
Thomas Hand brought the family dog, Johnsie, to the meeting, he told CNN. AP
Eitan – who is a dual citizen of French Israel – was captured along with his father, Ohad, who is still believed to be in custody in the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel said.
Going forward, Thomas Hand told CNN, his focus is on helping Emily recover and fighting to return the other hostages — including Raaya.
“We need to get Raaya back for Hila, back for Emily, back for justice. Don’t be silent with us now. Take it home, take it home,” he insisted.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
