9-year-old Emily Hand who was believed to be killed by Hamas reunites with her father

The 9-year-old Israeli-Irish girl who was initially believed to be killed by Hamas was among the 17 hostages released by the group in the second phase of the ceasefire deal. After a tense delay in the Hostage-prisoner swap, Hand along with other Israeli hostages got a chance to reunite with their families. Following the release of the hostages, the Israeli authorities shared the visuals of the Hand's reunion with her father who thought that she was killed by Hamas after the terrorist group stormed a kibbutz on October 7.

The young Israeli-Irish national had been held hostage by Hamas for seven weeks after the terrorist group wreaked havoc in the Kibbutz Be’eri located in southern Israel. “After weeks of trauma, this is a precious and deeply moving moment for the Hand family. The people of Ireland have been touched by Emily’s story, her innocence and the quiet dignity and determination of her father, Tom,” the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement following Hand’s release. Hand was released with the second batch of hostages which comprised 13 Israelis and four Thai Nationals.

The plight of Emily’s father

Two days before Emily’s birthday, Thomas Hand told CBS News that she won’t be able to celebrate her birthday.  "The sad thing about it is, she won't even know what day it is. She won't know whether it's night or day. She won't even though it's her birthday,” Thomas told CBS News. Thomas told the news outlet, that Emily was abducted while she was at a sleepover at her friend’s house when Hamas started to raid southern Israel.

Thomas who is an Irish national and not Jewish, moved to Israel as a kibbutz volunteer three decades ago. After Emily was abducted by the terrorist group, Israeli officials told him that his daughter had been killed. At that time, Thomas told CNN that he was relieved by the knowledge that Emily was at least not in Hamas' hands. "The thought of a little eight-year-old child in the hands of those animals... Can you imagine the sheer horror for an 8-year-old child?" Hand told CNN. A few weeks later, the authorities told Thomas that his daughter might be alive, raising his hopes for a reunion. "It doesn't matter how sick I am. It doesn't matter how tired I am. We are going to get her back," he told CBS News. After 50 days of captivity, Emily is finally reunited with his family.