Emily Hand, the Irish child abducted by Hamas on October 7, returned to the arms of her father on Saturday evening. The girl was part of a group of 20 people released by the Islamic group on the second day of a truce in the conflict with Israel.
Emily’s father said as soon as his daughter disappeared that he hoped she was dead and not in the hands of a gang, Dailymail reports. The man was afraid of what might happen to the girl during her captivity.
The father-daughter reunion was filmed and Emily can be seen throwing herself into her father’s arms after 50 days in the hands of Hamas.
Thomas says his daughter is “broken but whole” and promises to throw “the biggest birthday party ever” to celebrate the girl’s 9th birthday, since she turned nine while being held hostage by the group.
Speaking to The Mirror ahead of his daughter’s expected release, Thomas said: “We’ve waited too long for this moment. Every day has been a long and painful nightmare, but my Emily is finally coming home.”
“Emily is sweet and innocent, so I hope and pray that this terrible experience doesn’t take that away from her,” he adds.
The family also added that they are very glad that the girl is home, but at the same time they remember “all the hostages who have not yet returned.”
October 7 marked the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, with some 240 prisoners taken to Gaza.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.