A 9-year-old girl who was initially thought to have been killed when Hamas stormed a kibbutz on Oct. 7 — an outcome her father said at the time was the “best possibility” — was among the 17 hostages freed as part of a temporary cease-fire Saturday.
Irish Israeli citizen Emily Hand had been held hostage for seven weeks since she was abducted when the terrorists attacked Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel and slaughtered more than 100 people.
“After weeks of trauma, this is a precious and deeply moving moment for the Hand family,” Irish Tánaiste Micheál Martin 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 Thai nationals — released by Hamas on Saturday in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of a four-day cease-fire agreement.
When Hand was captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, her father Tom initially said it was a “blessing” that his daughter may have died — but walked back those remarks after realizing she may be alive.
Hand told reporters her dying would be the “best possibility,” blasting what Hamas does to people in Gaza as “worse than death.”
The father, who was born in Dún Laoghaire and is not Jewish, previously said his daughter was at a sleepover when terrorists snuck into Kibbutz Be’eri and slaughtered more than 100 people.
She turned nine years old in captivity on Nov. 17.
“I had the opportunity to meet Tom before traveling to the region, and I was struck by the strength and resilience with which he advocated for his daughter’s release,” Martin said.
Hand fell in love with a member of the kibbutz with whom he had two children. After a 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.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Saturday day that the 17 hostages released by Hamas have returned to Israel.
The hostages have completed a medical assessment and are being escorted from Gaza via Egypt by Israeli special forces and officers from Shin Bet, Israel’s FBI.
The Israel Prisons Service announced that it released 39 Palestinian prisoners from three Israeli jails. All of those released were women and minors from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Times of Israel.