A 9-year-old girl initially thought to have been killed when Hamas stormed a kibbutz on October 7 – an outcome her father said at the time was the “best possibility” – was among 17 hostages freed as part of a temporary ceasefire on Saturday.
Irish Israeli citizen Emily Hand had been held hostage for seven weeks since she was kidnapped when terrorists attacked Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel and massacred more than 100 people.
“After weeks of trauma, this is a precious and deeply moving moment for the Hand family,” Ireland’s Tánaiste Micheál Martin, the country’s second-highest official, said in a statement.
“The people of Ireland have been moved 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 Thais) freed by Hamas on Saturday in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of a four-day ceasefire agreement.
When Hand was captured by Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel, her father Tom initially said it was a “blessing” that his daughter could have died, but he retracted those comments after realizing she might be alive.
Emily Hand hugs her father Thomas Hand after being released as part of a hostage and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel on November 26, 2023. via REUTERS Emily Hand marked nine years in captivity on November 17. IDF Emily Hand was kidnapped hostage by Hamas soldiers on October 7 and among the 17 released exactly seven weeks later.AP
Hand told reporters that his death would be the “best possibility,” criticizing 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 sneaked into Kibbutz Be’eri and massacred more than 100 people.
He served nine years in captivity on November 17.
Hand was one of 17 hostages (13 Israelis and four Thais) freed by Hamas on Saturday. IDF Emily Hand (second from right) meets with her father, Tom Hand (right), while Hila Rotem (second from left), whose mother is still hostage, meets with members of her family.via Times of Israel
“I had the opportunity to meet Tom before traveling to the region and was amazed 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 she had two children. After the 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.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was criticized for his passive language in a statement about Emily’s return to her family after 50 days in Hamas custody.
Tom Hand with Orit Meir, the mother of Almog Meir, during a press conference for families of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza last week. AFP via Getty Images
“An innocent child who was lost has been found and returned, and we breathe a huge sigh of relief,” Varadkar tweeted. “Our prayers were answered.”
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy criticized the statement for revealing “the extent of Ireland’s contribution: prayers.”
“This is how you describe a girl who went missing during a walk in the woods and is later discovered by a friendly hiker,” Levy tweeted in response. “Not even a girl brutally kidnapped by death squads who brutally massacred her neighbors.”
An Irish Jewish organization, Irish Jewish Voice, similarly condemned Varadkar’s words.
Emily Hand turned 9 on November 17 while in captivity. AP
“Emily Hand was not ‘lost’ or misplaced. This is NOT a work by Oscar Wilde @LeoVaradkar,” the group aware, referring to the famous Irish playwright. “Emily was cruelly kidnapped by #Hamas terrorists. “Israeli pressure brought her home.”
Varadkar has been among the West’s staunchest critics of Israel’s military response in Gaza, which has killed some 14,000 Palestinians in the besieged enclave. He described Israel’s actions earlier this month as “something approaching revenge.”
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Saturday that the 17 hostages freed by Hamas have returned to Israel.
The hostages have completed a medical evaluation and are being escorted from Gaza through Egypt by Israeli special forces and officers from the Shin Bet, Israel’s FBI.
The Israel Prison Service announced that it released 39 Palestinian prisoners from three Israeli prisons. All of those released were women and minors from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Times of Israel.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn