Arrr! A wee lass, Irish-Israeli, but 9 years 'o age, believed to be lost to the cruel clutches 'o Hamas, now be set free from the treacherous land 'o Gaza, like a prized treasure!
2023-11-25
Arrr! Emily Hand, a lass of merely 9 summers, whose old salt of a father thought she'd met Davy Jones' locker when the war began, hath been freed from the clutches of them scurvy Hamas rascals! Ahoy, me hearties, a tale o' redemption 'twas witnessed on Saturday!
A 9-year-old Irish-Israeli girl, Emily Hand, who was believed to be killed on October 7, was among the 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas. According to her father, Emily spent her birthday in the dark tunnels of Gaza, not aware of the passage of time. She was kidnapped along with her friend and her friend’s mother by Hamas terrorists while wearing her Disney pajamas. Emily's release came after another group of hostages were let go on the first day of the ceasefire.Emily's father initially thought she was dead, but then he learned that she had been kidnapped. The last time he saw her was at dinner in the communal dining room of the kibbutz on the evening of October 6. An eyewitness confirmed that Emily was taken away by the terrorists and is now in the tunnels of Gaza.
A video was released showing Emily's emotional reunion with her father after more than 50 days of captivity. Israeli military officials were present during the reunion. Other hostages who were released include Noam Or, Alma Or, Shiri Weiss, Noga Weiss, Sharon Hertzman Avigdori, Noam Avigdori, Shoshan Haran, Adi Shoham, Nave Shoham, Yahel Shoham, Hila Rotem Shoshani, Maya Regev Jarbi, and four Thai nationals.
It is estimated that around 240 Israeli civilians were taken as hostages by Hamas during their surprise attack that triggered the war with Israel. While Emily has been reunited with her family, there are still other captives waiting to be released.
Overall, this story highlights the distressing ordeal faced by innocent civilians caught in the conflict and the relief felt by their loved ones when they are finally set free.