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11 months ago
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The father of Hamas hostage Emily Hand said his nine-year-old daughter has 'lost a lot of weight' after she was finally reunited with her family on Saturday.
Footage shows Thomas Hand, 63, speaking of his hope that Emily - who spent her ninth birthday inside the terror tunnels of Gaza - will recover physically and mentally from the torment of being held captive for 50 days.
Emily's father told The Sun: 'We got Emily back from the hands of the Gazan terrorists.
'She's lost a lot of weight from her face and body, but generally doing better than we expected.'
He added: 'We're still fighting... as they promised they would not release children without mothers but they did not [keep that promise].'
Mr Hand is in a hospital with his daughter who is being cared for after her release among 13 innocents from the Gaza strip last week.
Emily was snatched from her bed by Hamas terrorists during a sleepover at her friend's house during the terrorist group's attack on Israel on October 7.
Thomas Hand, father of Hamas hostage Emily Hand , said his nine-year-old daughter has 'lost a lot of weight' after she was finally reunited with her family on Saturday
Footage shows Mr Hand speaking of his hope that Emily - who spent her ninth birthday inside the terror tunnels of Gaza - will recover physically and mentally from the torment of being held captive for 50 days
Emily is pictured reuniting with her father while Hila Rotem (second from left), whose mother is still held hostage, reunites with a family member
Footage also shows the little girl being hugged and comforted by her half-sister Natali as they reunite
She was finally reunited with her father in an Israeli hospital on Saturday after her release.
Footage shared last week shows Emily running into her father's arms before they share an emotional embrace.
Mr Hand later revealed she was 'broken' after her ordeal, but still in one piece. He also said he had been too scared to hug her tightly - but vowed to throw her the 'biggest birthday party ever'.
Speaking to The Mirror ahead of his daughter's release, Mr Hand said: '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.'
Following her release, her family added in a statement: 'Emily has come back to us. We can't find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days.
'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.
Emily's father said: 'She's lost a lot of weight from her face and body, but generally doing better than we expected'
Mr Hand previously said he was too scared to hug Emily tightly following her release
Emily is seen being welcomed back by her family after 50 days being held hostage by Hamas
'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.'
Mr Hand earlier told The Mirror of his nerve-shredding wait to hug Emily again and said he would tell her: 'I love you, I love you, I love you.'
He said: 'Emily is so wonderfully sweet and innocent – and I hope and pray that this awful experience will not have taken that away from her.
'I expect she'll be very angry with me to start with because you've been thinking, 'Where is Daddy? Why has Daddy not come to save me?'
'But the great thing is she cannot blame the dog at all – and I'm absolutely sure the dog will get the cuddle first before me.
'She really is a special girl who loves everything in this world – even the big snails that crawl around our kibbutz. Emily used to put them on her arms and hands and stroke them gently.
'I'm sure we'll be able eventually to cure all the physical problems that may be inflicted on her… but the things in the mind are gonna take much more time and effort.'
English (US)