An Irish-Israeli girl reportedly killed by Hamas was “lucky” to die and not be taken prisoner, her father said, but her family said she was apparently alive and was captured by terrorists. It’s like being held hostage.
Eight-year-old Emily Hand was reported to have been killed at Kibbutz Beeri on October 7, the day of the Hamas invasion, but Israeli authorities recently informed her family that she was among the hostages. reported.
“We heard she had been murdered. We were in mourning,” said Emily’s half-sister Natalie, 26. The Times of Israel reported she said: “On October 31st, they told us that she was likely abducted.”
In a direct message to Emily, her half-sister said: I know you are being held hostage. we love you so much and miss you so much. ”
Irish embassy in Israel This was revealed by Irish broadcaster RTÉ. Emily was kidnapped but not killed. A diplomatic official told the outlet that tests showed her DNA had not been detected among the victims at the kibbutz.
Days after the attack, Emily’s Irish father Tom gave an emotional interview with CNN about the cause of Emily’s death.
He said Emily went to stay with a friend on the kibbutz and was told two days later by Israeli authorities that Emily was believed to have died.
“When we found out Emily had passed away, we thought, ‘Yeah!’ And we smiled because that was the best news I could have known,” Tom told media at the time. Ta.
“If you know anything about what they’re doing to the people of Gaza, it’s worse than death. It’s worse than death, the way they treat you. They don’t even have food. There would be no, there would be no water…she would be in a dark room…and would be in fear every minute, hour, day, and probably for years to come, so death was a blessing. An absolute blessing. ” he added.
Nattie Bilad, 28, Natalie’s boyfriend Confirmed by Irish Times On Sunday, the family announced that they had been informed that Israeli intelligence believed Emily was “likely” being held in Gaza along with her friend and her friend’s mother.
“This story just keeps building up. This nightmare is coming true. Thomas is trying, we are trying. The whole family is dealing with their grief and doing the best they can,” Bilad said. Ta.
He also called on the Irish Government to provide all possible support.
Three days ago, Tom said on social media that Narkis, a mother of his two older children, was “definitely murdered” by Hamas, adding that reports of Emily’s death were a “misidentification”.
On October 7, Tom and his daughter were having a sleepover at a friend’s house when they were attacked by rockets from Gaza and went to a shelter.
“I heard the gunshots approaching. I called my ex-wife on the kibbutz to make sure she was in a safe room and the door was locked, and I went to the family where Emily was sleeping. I told them to call me,” he said at the time.
He was then escorted by community leaders to a room where a doctor waited, along with a psychiatrist and social worker, and was told that Emily had been murdered.
“They just said, ‘We found Emily, but she’s dead,'” he said.
The Irish Times reports that Tom, who was born in Dun Laoghaire and is not Jewish, moved to England with his family as a child.
As an adult, he enrolled as a kibbutz volunteer and was assigned to a kibbutz beli.
“It was paradise. I couldn’t have asked for a better place or better people,” he said, according to the outlet.
He fell in love with Naax, a member of the kibbutz, and they had two children, Natalie and Aiden (29). After the divorce, Tom married Emily’s mother, Liat, who died of breast cancer five years ago.
At the time of the attack, Tom was applying for an Irish passport for Emily.
“She was very outgoing and loved music. She sang all day around the house and loved to dance. She used to watch Beyoncé videos. She was her favorite. , she learned the moves quickly. She was always chosen for the dance routines she performed on the kibbutz stage on holidays and was always front and center,” he previously said.
