A little girl who was believed to have been killed by Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Be'eri during the attack on October 7, is now thought to be alive and is being held hostage in Gaza, her family has claimed. Her older sister said on Sunday that the family was notified of this by Israeli police five days ago.
Emily Hand, an 8-year-old Irish-Israeli girl, spent the night of October 6–7 at a sleepover at her friend's house. It was reported that Emily was among the at least 130 persons killed in the horrific massacre at Kibbutz Be'eri. Natalie Hand told in an interview with Channel 12 that the family cried for Emily after being told she had been killed.
Alive, Not Dead
According to her sister, Israeli authorities informed her family that Emily is a hostage of Hamas and is probably in Gaza. "We were told that she had been murdered. We were in mourning," she said. Then, "on October 31, they told us that it was highly likely that she had been abducted," Natalie told Channel 12.
When questioned if there was any message that she wanted to convey to Emily in case she might hear it, Natalie replied: "I want to tell you that we are doing everything to get you home. We know you are being held hostage. We love you so much and miss you."
Natalie went on to say that Emily's mother, whose home she was staying at, and her friend were probably also being held hostage by Hamas, according to information provided by Israeli officials.
It comes after her father, Thomas Hand, an Irishman by birth, said that he was relieved that she was dead because he was afraid of what might have happened to her at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
Hand, born in the Irish coastal town of Dún Laoghaire, is not Jewish. A few days after Hamas launched its covert attack on Israel, Hand said in an interview with CNN: "[Israeli authorities] said, 'We found Emily. She's dead,' and I just went 'Yes!' I went 'yes', and I smiled, because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew."
"She was either dead, or in Gaza. And if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death," he said.
"They'd have no food. They'd have no water. She'd be in a dark room filled with Christ knows how many people. And terrified every minute, hour, day, and possible years to come. So death was a blessing. An absolute blessing."
New Worries about Emily
The father is now once again worried about Emily's fate as he recalls how happy she was. "She would sing in the house all day long and she loved dancing. She would watch videos of Beyoncé; she was her favorite and would pick up the moves really quickly.
"She was always chosen for the dance routines on the stage for the Kibbutz for the holidays – always front and center, so if the other kids forgot the steps they could just look at Emily. She was exceptional."
More than 1,300 Israelis were killed when Hamas militants unexpectedly attacked Israel's south from Gaza.
More than 260 people were shot by gunmen who attacked a music festival in Israel by paragliding in and traveling by land.
In other places, gunmen from Hamas killed entire families in their own homes and massacred entire towns. According to police, children and even newborns were discovered shot in the cold and even beheaded.
Israel has responded by heavily shelling Gaza in retaliation.
Over 9,700 Palestinians have died as a result of Tel Aviv's reprisal, which has included a ground invasion of the region, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.
It is estimated that Hamas is holding some 240 captives in Gaza. On October 7, the militant organization attacked villages throughout southern Israel, which prompted an intense Israeli military bombing campaign and ground incursion.
