A father is pleading for the safe return of his 9-year-old daughter, Emily Hand, who was kidnapped by Hamas during their attack on Israel on October 7. Emily is one of over 240 hostages currently held by Hamas. After Israel and Hamas reached a four-day truce agreement, Thomas Hand, Emily’s father, is urging for her release. The deal includes the release of 50 civilian hostages held by Hamas and the release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Thomas Hand, 63, expressed his hope for Emily’s return but stated that he won’t believe it until he sees her. During a press conference in London, Hand described his life as a nightmare and expressed his trust in the Israeli government and army to do everything possible to bring the hostages back.
Initially, Emily was believed to be among the 1,200 Israelis killed during Hamas’ surprise attack in southern Israel. However, she is now counted among the 240 hostages held in Gaza.
Hand, who had lived in Be’eri kibbutz for 20 years working in a printing house, now resides in a hotel near the Dead Sea. He emphasized that his sole purpose in life is to bring Emily back, and nothing else concerns him.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared a video on Facebook, appealing for help in bringing Emily home. The video explained that Emily, previously thought to have been murdered by Hamas terrorists, is now confirmed to be held hostage by them in Gaza.
The four-day truce is set to begin on Friday at 7 am local time. The Qatari foreign ministry announced that the first 13 civilian captives will be released around 4 pm. The remaining 50 hostages will be released in batches, with approximately a dozen expected to be freed each day during the ceasefire. The break in hostilities is being referred to as a “humanitarian pause,” and Israel stated that the pause will be extended by a day for each additional batch of 10 hostages released.
It is expected that the hostages will be transported through Egypt, the only country apart from Israel that shares a border with Gaza.
