Father of kidnapped schoolgirl Emily Hand, nine, says she is 'smiling again' after 50 days of 'absolute hell' as an Hamas hostage left her broken and terrified to speak

A brave small miss who was taken hostage by Hamas was thankfully returned to the arms of her father, but remained traumatised and astir mute until now.

Nine-year-old Emily Hand was snatched successful her pyjamas during a sleepover astatine her friend's location during the violent group's onslaught connected Israel connected October 7 past twelvemonth and she was held hostage for 50 days.

Footage of Emily moving into her father's arms earlier they shared an affectional clasp warmed the hearts of each who watched it.

Her begetter said astatine the clip she was 'broken but successful 1 piece' aft helium had antecedently said helium believed she would beryllium amended disconnected dormant than kidnapped by Hamas.

It's been a agelong roadworthy to recovery, arsenic upon her instrumentality Emily was painfully skinny, with  matted filthy hairsbreadth and she lone spoke successful a susurration due to the fact that her captors had told the tiny kid they would stab her if she made excessively overmuch noise. 

But her begetter Thomas praised her arsenic a 'fighter' and said she is present arsenic 'noisy and boisterous arsenic ever' and is 'smiling again'. He vowed to ne'er kick astir however large she is being.

He told The Sun Emily is 'smiling again' and is backmost astatine schoolhouse with immoderate of her aged friends, starting to 'enjoy life'.

He said: 'Emily inactive gets frightened of large noises and wasn't capable to slumber unsocial for a agelong clip aft she came back.

'She inactive has nightmares but counselling has helped and things are overmuch amended now.

'She spent her past day successful hellhole truthful I'll beryllium making definite she has a enactment to retrieve this twelvemonth erstwhile she turns 10 connected October 17.'

Ahead of the day of the attack, helium said 'our thoughts are ever with the hostages'.

Upon her return, Mr Hand said helium had been excessively frightened to hug her tightly - but vowed to propulsion her the 'biggest day enactment ever'. She turned 9 portion a hostage.

Following her release, her household added successful a statement: 'Emily has travel backmost to us. We can't find the words to picture our emotions aft 50 challenging and analyzable days.

'We are overjoyed to clasp Emily again, but astatine the aforesaid time, we retrieve Raya Rotem and each the hostages who person yet to return.

We volition persist successful doing everything successful our powerfulness to bring them backmost home.

'We privation to explicit our gratitude to everyone who helped and supported america during the past 50 days until Emily's return.

'We admit the unwavering enactment arsenic we proceed our efforts for the harmless instrumentality of all.'

Emily's seizure made headlines astir the satellite aft her affectional begetter initially said helium hoped she had died successful the October 7 invasion, alternatively than being successful the hands of Hamas.

Speaking astatine at a property league astatine the time, Mr Hand said helium believed she was facing 'sheer panic and panic each hr of each day.'

'She indispensable beryllium saying each day: 'Where's my daddy? Where's my daddy, wherefore isn't beryllium coming to prevention me?'

He added: 'I don't cognize what information she's gonna beryllium in, but she's gonna beryllium broken, precise broken, mentally and physically, and we'll person to hole that.'

The small girl's begetter explained her canine is going to beryllium an important portion of her betterment and adjacent told the subject that Johnsie was a requirement.

He said: 'The canine is truthful loving and truthful calm usually… he's conscionable the calming power Emily volition request for the adjacent fewer weeks.'

'I perfectly insisted that the canine indispensable travel with maine and, to my surprise, the Israeli service has agreed,' helium added.

Mr Hand has been Emily's sole genitor aft her parent died from crab erstwhile she was conscionable 2 years old.

Dubliner Thomas travelled to Israel 3 decades agone to unpaid connected a kibbutz adjacent the Gaza border.

He faced an unbearable hold for quality astir his girl aft Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz wherever she was staying for a sleepover astatine her friend's location connected October 7.

When helium was incorrectly told her assemblage had been found, helium welcomed the quality due to the fact that helium said it was amended than her being taken hostage during the barbaric onslaught connected the Be'eri Kibbutz.

Her older sister, Natalie, told Israeli media: 'We were told that she had been murdered. We were successful mourning.

'On October 31, they told america that it was highly apt that she had been abducted.'

When Natalie was asked whether she had thing she wanted to accidental to Emily, connected the off-chance she could beryllium listening, she said: 'I privation to archer you that we are doing everything to get you home. We cognize you are being held hostage.

'We emotion you truthful overmuch and miss you.'

Emily was among astatine slightest 30 children believed to beryllium inactive held successful Gaza.