Watch: Emily Hand reunited with her father after 50 days in Gaza
Emily Hand reunited with her father, Tom Hand. Picture: Amy Spiro/X
Emily Hand had her ninth birthday as a hostage in Gaza, the day before she was reunited with her father, who initially believed she had been killed in the devastating attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel last month.
Returned in the second group of hostages released by the Islamist movement under a Qatari-brokered deal with Israel, she appeared in good health in a photograph released with fellow hostage Hila Rotem, whose mother remains in Gaza.
The daughter of an Irish immigrant to Israel, Emily's mother died of cancer when she was 2 years old and her family described the violent mix of feelings reported by other hostage families.
"We can't find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days," her family said in a statement.
"We are overjoyed to embrace Emily again, but at the same time, we remember Raya Rotem and all the hostages who have yet to return."
For residents of the Hands' home kibbutz of Be'eri, one of the communities worst hit by last month's attack by Hamas, the release of some of the hostages abducted on October 7 brought a measure of relief tinged with sadness.
In the Dead Sea resort where most of the residents of the kibbutz have been evacuated to, there were cheers and applause as the community watched the hostages being brought to Israel.
"You don't know, you can't imagine they will come. You just can't imagine it, what they will do, if they will talk about it," said 10-year-old Talia, a friend of Emily Hand.
"We have a lot of questions, everyone wants to ask them, What happened there, what they did to them, if they ate and drank," she said.
Commenting on her release, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said this is "a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family."
In a statement he said: "An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and our country breathes a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.
"A little girl was snatched from her home and held captive for almost seven weeks. She spent her ninth birthday as a hostage.
"We hope she will soon heal and recover from the traumatic experience in the loving embrace of her family.
"Irish people everywhere share in the relief of Emily’s family. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the hostages in Gaza, but we followed particularly closely the fate of Emily, a dual Irish-Israeli citizen.
"Since our country first heard that she may still be alive, we have hoped beyond hope that her name would be on one of the lists of hostages to be released."
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has also welcomed confirmation that the Irish-Israeli citizen is being returned to her family.
In a statement he said: "I am delighted that Emily Hand - a bright and beautiful young girl - has been released and will be reunited with her family.
"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.
"I had the opportunity to meet Tom before travelling to the region, and I was struck by the strength and resilience with which he advocated for his daughter’s release.
"This is a message that I and my colleagues in government sought to amplify as we engaged internationally, through political, diplomatic and security channels, in a bid to secure Emily’s safe return."
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald also welcomed the news.
"The trauma and heartbreak that little Emily and her family have been subjected to over the last number of weeks is unimaginable.
“I commend the mediators’ efforts, including the government of Qatar and all other neighbouring states, for the constructive role that they have played in securing the release of Emily and the other hostages, as well as Palestinian women and children who were imprisoned under administrative detention, who are finally reuniting with their loved ones today.”
She reiterated her call that all hostages be released urgently and for an immediate full ceasefire to be in place.
“Ireland must continue to be a voice for peaceful dialogue on the international stage,” she said.
More than 100 people were killed during the attack on the kibbutz, located a few kilometres from the security fence with Gaza that was breached by Hamas gunmen in the early hours of Oct. 7, and the kibbutz has become one of the most potent symbols of the suffering caused by the attack.
Around 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed and some 240 were seized as hostages.
Since then, Israel has vowed both to destroy Hamas and bring the hostages back home. It has unleashed a relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 14,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Saturday's release of 13 hostages came after some six weeks of fighting as part of a deal to release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Once the scheduled four-day truce to complete the exchange is over, Israeli commanders and Hamas have both said they expect fighting to resume. The future for the hostages who remain in Gaza is unclear.
"This is the saddest joy and the happiest sadness, but our family is home," said Inbal Tzach, whose cousin Adi Shoham was visiting Be'eri, along with her children Nave, 8 and Yahel, 3 when the family was abducted.
However, with Adi's husband, Tal, still in Gaza, she said there remained a long way to go. "This is an emotional evening for the families who received their loved ones tonight. We will continue the struggle until everyone comes home."
