Emily Hand had her ninth birthday as a hostage in Gaza, the day before she was reunited with her father, who initially believed she had been killed in the devastating attack by Hamas fighters on southern Israel last month, Reuters reports.
Returned in the second group of hostages released by Hamas under a Qatari-brokered deal with Israel, she appeared in good health in a photograph released with fellow hostage Hila Rotem, whose mother remains in Gaza.
The daughter of an Irish immigrant to Israel, Emily’s mother died of cancer when she was 2 years old and her family described the violent mix of feelings reported by other hostage families.
“We can’t find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days,” her family said in a statement. “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.”
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