This story from Israel spread all over the world. The father, who cried tears of happiness and sighed with relief when he learned that his daughter was dead and not captured by Hamas, shocked everyone.
A miracle happened: 8-year-old Emily from Israel, whose dad was mourning his daughter, returned home alive.
Journalist Vitoria Gnatyuk told about the incredible story of rescue and little Emily’s experience in captivity in an exclusive article on TSN.UA.
What did Emily go through?
“You definitely remember this girl. 8-year-old Emily from Israel. Everyone thought that she was killed by terrorists from the Gaza Strip. Little Emily went to the settlement of Beri on the night of October 7 – exactly that hellish night when Hamas militants were preparing to kill.” ,” the journalist recalls the chronicle of events.
It was a resort place near the Dead Sea. Tourists flocked there. The only thing that did not allow this kibbutz to be ideal was its proximity to the Gaza Strip and periodic shelling.
It was this kibbutz that suffered the most from Hamas.
The militants simply shot more than 100 people indiscriminately, and some were captured. Survivors spoke of abuses that seemed to only appear in horror films: militants set houses on fire and waited for people to start running out into the yard, and then they were mercilessly killed.
They plundered and destroyed everything they could. No one was prepared for such atrocities, but they were used to shelling, so there was always somewhere to hide, so the father did not worry about his daughter and after a few hours he greatly regretted that he let Emily go to her friend.
Then I heard shots. And it was already too late. If I had known… Perhaps I would have run and taken her, her friend, her friend's mother and brought her to me. But when I realized what was happening, it was already too late,” said the girl’s father.
What did Tom think?
For two days Tom knew nothing about his daughter, but he couldn’t do anything. The kibbutz where he lived was quickly captured by terrorists and there was almost no chance of getting out of the settlement alive. The husband clarified: he raised his daughter himself, the girl’s mother died of cancer, so he thought about not leaving the child orphan.
“I had to think about Emily. She had already lost her mother, I couldn't risk myself for her to lose her father as well,” he said.
News about the death of a child and the father's reaction
But Tom already understood two options: either Emily was already dead or in captivity of Hamas militants. And as it turned out, the first option for him was not the worst, so when several people appeared on the doorstep, the man realized what news they had come to him with. The man’s reaction to the news of his daughter’s death then shocked the whole world.
In a heart-wrenching interview on @CNNsitRoom, CNN reporter Clarissa Ward phrases with @WolfBlitzer o grieving other whole received confirmation of the daughter's tragic death during the Hamas attack. Watch: pic.twitter.com/F9Yh3lW5KI
— CNN (@CNN) October 12, 2023
When he learned that his daughter was no longer alive, he breathed a sigh of relief and called the death of his 8-year-old Emily a blessing. Over time, the world understood exactly why this was the reaction.
“She was dead. I knew she wasn't alone, she wasn't in Gaza, she wasn't in a dark room filled with a lot of people pushing each other. If you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, The way people are treated there, they have no food, no water, they are in dark rooms and are terrified every minute of every day and this can last for months or even many years. So death was a blessing… An absolute blessing,” he said He.
News from the military a few weeks after the girl’s “death”
Tom mourned his daughter for several weeks, but on October 31, the military broke the news and it turned out that what Tom feared most was true. Little Emily was captured by Hamas. The girl’s older half-sister, Natalia, reported this in early November.
How did you manage to fire Emily?
Along with Emily, her friend and her mother were captured by Hamas, with whom the girl stayed that terrible night. At first they were also declared dead, but the data was later updated. One can only assume that Emily was saved by the fact that she has Irish citizenship and the Irish authorities promised to do everything possible to help this family. While the search continued, Natalia addressed her little sister and other hostages live.
Details of prisoner exchange
The other day it became known that during the 4-day truce she was included in the list for exchange. And so she returned to her loved ones, her older half-sister and her father. These shots leave no one indifferent.
Life in captivity
The girl spent exactly 50 days in captivity and celebrated her 9th birthday there. Now 63-year-old Tom promises to throw the biggest party in honor of his daughter's homecoming. He personally met his daughter late at night along with her half-sister. Relatives say Emily has lost a lot of weight and is exhausted, but the main thing is that she is alive.
“We have returned Emily from the hands of the Gaza terrorists. She has lost a lot of weight on her face and body, but overall she is doing better than we expected. We are still fighting. We are now in the hospital taking care of Emily and want to thank everyone who helped us and supported all these 50 days,” says Tom.
Who was Emily traded to?
One can only guess what little Emily had to endure in captivity. As it turned out, the girl was among 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens whom Israel exchanged for 39 Palestinian prisoners. On this occasion, the head of the Irish government, Leo Varadkar, published a post in which he stated that Emily was “lost and found.”
“The innocent girl who was lost has now been found and returned, and our country has breathed a huge sigh of relief,” the chief said.
Scandal surrounding the girl's return
But such words angered Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who called these statements immoral.
“Mr. Prime Minister. It appears you have lost your moral compass and need a reality check! Emily Hand is not 'lost', she has been kidnapped by a terrorist organization,” Cohen says.
Recall that Israeli troops in northern Gaza were attacked by militants. The IDF announced this on November 28.
▶ On the TSN YouTube channel you can watch the video at this link: YOU WILL CRY: in Israel, a father felt relieved when he learned of his daughter’s death
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