After 50 days in captivity, 9-year-old Emily Hand was released tonight (between Saturday and Sunday) along with 12 other abductees. After an evening of anxious waiting, her father Thomas got to meet her after being convinced she was not alive for part of her stay in Gaza.
After 50 days in captivity: Emily Hand meets her father
The story of 9-year-old Emily Hand is one of the most remarkable. At first, her father Thomas Hand was told that she had been murdered in the October 7 massacre in Bari. At the time, he burst into tears on live television when he said he was relieved that his daughter had been murdered and not kidnapped, explaining: "What they do to people in Gaza is worse than death. The gospel was an absolute blessing." A few days later, however, the family received the news that little Emily was alive, but kidnapped in Gaza.
He tells about his daughter Emily who is 8 years old. And how he reacted when he heard that she died pic.twitter.com/GcyEvbdyLS
— Stop Hypocrisy (@Onetruth011) October 12, 2023
After a volatile day that included a delay in the second round of hostage releases since the ceasefire, Emily arrived in Israel with the other 12 abductees, where she met with her father and uncles:
Emily Hand meets her father after 50 days in captivity, photo: use under section 27A of the Copyright Law
Her family found it hard to hide their excitement over her return: "Emily is back to us, we have no words to describe our emotions after 50 difficult and complicated days. We are happy, but we do not forget for a moment Raya Rotem, who did not return today, and all the abductees who are still there, and we will continue to do everything to bring them back. We thank everyone who wrapped us up, supported us and fought with us to get to this moment when Emily is here with us."
On Friday evening, October 6, Emily ate Shabbat dinner in the kibbutz's dining room and then asked to go to sleep with Hila Rotem, a good friend of hers. In the morning, during the massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be'eri, Emily, Hila and Raya Rotem, Hila's mother, were kidnapped. Emily celebrated her 9th birthday in Hamas captivity.
Emily Hand before the kidnapping, photo: courtesy of the family
Thomas Hand, Emily's father, came to Kibbutz Labari for a three-month volunteer when he was 32, in the end he stayed for 30 years. There he met Narcissus, married her, and they had two children: Eden (29) and Natalie (26). The couple were excited but remained on good terms, and both lived in Bari. A few years later, Thomas met Liat and they had Emily together. Liat contracted cancer and died when Emily was two and a half years old. Following this, Narcissus, Thomas's ex-wife, acted as her second mother, but unfortunately Narcissus was murdered in the October 7 attack. Now her family will have to tell her that she has also lost the mother who raised her.
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