The father of Emily Hand, the nine-year-old Israeli-Irish girl who was held hostage by Hamas for 50 days, said she was threatened with a knife during her ordeal.
EmilyWho was he Released in November After her arrest on October 7, she suffers from panic attacks and often speaks in whispers, her father said in an interview with Israel's Channel 12.
Thomas Hand, originally from Dublin, said Emily spoke “very little” about her time in captivity.
Thomas Hand. Photo: Israeli Channel 12
“Only every now and then, [she gives] Small snippets of information. But in reality we are not allowed to question it in any way, from the psychiatrists' point of view. They said: No, whatever you want to say voluntarily, let it come out.
“She told me they were threatened with a knife to keep quiet.
“It's a terrible vision in your head as a parent, that she experienced this horror.”
But Mr. Hand wants to return to their home in Bury, where… agitation The attack occurred on October 7.
“We all want to go home. Homes have been destroyed, destroyed. The blood of our friends is on the roads, in the paths, in the grass, in the ground itself. But yes, we still want to go back. We have to go back. If we don't go back, they have won.”
But Emily is less enthusiastic, saying: “On the one hand, it's very close to the box” – the term the nine-year-old uses to refer to Gaza.
“On the other hand, all the friends are there. So I don't know,” she said.
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Mr Hand said his dream for Emily was for her to make a “full recovery”.
“No more panic attacks. No more whispering. To feel safe – mentally and emotionally. I hope you have a healthy, happy and normal life like any parent wants for their children,” he said.
Emily. Photo: Israeli Channel 12
But he called for reaching a “reasonable” agreement with Hamas to ensure the release of the other hostages.
“If you ask me as a parent, as a friend of people who have been arrested, you have to say, 'Make the deal. Give them what they want to get everyone back.'
“If you ask me as someone in power making this deal, you have to make a reasonable deal. You can't let them think they can ask for anything.
“You get reports of what the hostages go through, and it adds to your pain and nightmare. I was very lucky to have my little girl back. You have to hope and pray for all the other hostages who are still being held there.”
Emily Hand and Thomas reunited in November. Photo: Israel Defense Forces
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The day after the interview, the family was preparing to celebrate the birthday of Mr. Hand's first wife, Narkiss, who was shot dead by Hamas in Be'eri on October 7.
Narkis was the mother of Mr. Hand's two adult children and also helped raise Emily after her mother died of cancer when she was a young child.
“She was 55 years old. She has not yet been buried in a permanent place.
“Narcisse was truly her second mother. Emily loved Narcisse like a mother. So tomorrow will be a tough day but we have to honor her.”
