A father had a tearful reunion last night with his nine-year-old daughter who had been held hostage by Hamas.
Irish-Israeli Emily Hand, nine, had been at a sleepover at a friend's house and was at first thought to have been killed during the October 7 rampage by the Palestinian militants.
Her father Thomas Hand had initially said he was glad to hear that she was dead as he was terrified about how she would be treated by Hamas.
But after hearing she was alive he said: "My sole purpose in life now is to do everything I can to get my little daughter Emily back."
Emily was among the hostages taken in a Red Cross convoy into Egypt then to Israel where they were given initial medical checks.
Following her release, her family said in a statement: “We have been waiting for far too long for this moment. Every day has been a long and painful living nightmare.… my Emily is coming home at last, broken but in one piece.
"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.
"We will persist in doing everything in our power to bring them back home.
"We want to express our gratitude to everyone who helped and supported us during the last 50 days until Emily's return.
"We appreciate the unwavering support as we continue our efforts for the safe return of all."
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said last night: "This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family.
"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.
"For her family, these seven weeks have been a slow and cruel torture. We all recall the initial response from her father Tom Hand - the painful grief mixed with relief with the mistaken belief that his daughter had not been taken hostage, which turned into an ember of hope when it was discovered she was still alive.
"Throughout all these different emotions his love has been constant."
