Little Hamas hostage celebrates 10th birthday at party she 'didn't think she'd see'

Emily Hand spent her 9th day successful captivity aft she was taken hostage by Hamas successful Gaza - present she is celebrating with her household including her dada Thomas

Brave Emily Hand is celebrating her 10th day connected Sunday - the archetypal since she was acceptable escaped from a Hamas hostage wrong Gaza.

This clip past twelvemonth Emily was being held captive by terrorists for 49 days. Now Emily and her dada Thomas person been putting up balloons and pinning badges simply saying “10” oregon “Happy Birthday” connected themselves. They’ve adjacent enactment 1 connected the collar of Emily's beloved canine Johnsey. Her delighted dada Thomas, 65, told the Mirror: "This is the day enactment I thought and feared I would ne'er experience. My agony has turned to joy. "When my beauteous small girl disappeared connected October 7th past twelvemonth I thought I would ne'er beryllium with her again. I knew the vicious attackers had killed implicit 100 of the radical who lived connected our kibbutz. At that clip I publically said thing that I cognize shocked the world.

“I said I hoped my girl was dormant - arsenic different if she was kidnapped into Gaza she was apt to beryllium subjected to the astir unspeakable brutality astatine the hands of her crazed vile captors.

"Then a week aboriginal a carer told america she had seen Emily and her older person Hila and Hila's parent being taken crossed the borderline into Gaza. I was horrified -- but hopeless to spot her again. nary substance successful what condition."

Thomas told the Mirror however antithetic it had been connected Emily's 9th birthday, which she spent successful captivity. Last twelvemonth helium had bought balloons with Happy Birthday inscribed connected them - and the Mirror saw them deflating wrong his edifice bedroom.

But helium is inactive disquieted astir Emily. "Gradually things person got amended for Emily - but it's 2 steps forward, 1 measurement back.

"The past twelvemonth and a spot has been highly difficult, not conscionable for Emily and maine but for my full family, friends and adjacent friends of friends.

"We, unfortunately, are not unsocial successful our feelings of shock, horror, sadness and consciousness of loss. At our day party, determination volition besides beryllium immoderate consciousness of sadness -- astatine who is not here.”

He added: "Emily has had to header with the execution by terrorists connected our kibbutz of Narkis, my ex-wife and parent of my 2 older children.

“Emily saw her arsenic a surrogate mum. The nonaccomplishment of our adjacent friends from the kibbutz -- and the nonaccomplishment of the kibbutz itself.

“The spot had been similar a paradise for Emily to turn up in, particularly aft she had mislaid her parent to crab erstwhile Emily was little than 3 years old."

Among those missing from today's enactment is the British pistillate Leanne Sharabi, from Bristol.

Leanne arsenic good arsenic some their teenage daughters. Leanne, Noiya and Yahel were mercilessly gunned down wrong their location connected October 7 past year.

Leanne's hubby Eli has been held captive for much than 400 days, among a fistful who whitethorn inactive beryllium alive. Also invited to today's day enactment are Hila Rotem Shoshani, present 14, and her mother. They were some kidnapped on with Emily, who had been astatine a sleepover with them.

"We had to bash conscionable what they told america different we would person died close there," Emily confided.

She said that portion they were being forced astatine gunpoint to locomotion crossed the adjacent borderline into Gaza they had seen astir a twelve dormant bodies -- including immoderate radical she knew from her kibbutz.

She inactive wakes up occasionally with nightmares, often dreaming of flight oregon being chased. Her devoted dada ever sleeps nearby.

But her beingness has turned astir -- acknowledgment mostly to extended psychotherapy, which has urged antithetic methods to springiness her backmost a consciousness of power implicit her life.

That included the exhilaration of riding horses, going sportfishing with her dad, and going to taxable parks, wherever - says Thomas -- she shows nary fearfulness connected adjacent the astir scary rollercoasters.

Above all, she has enjoyed cuddling her beloved canine Johnsey. Thomas said: She often goes to slumber with her caput resting connected him.”

Thomas recalled however 1 Saturday morning, November 24 past twelvemonth helium abruptly got the telephone helium had dreamed of.

The Israeli service was taking him, and andJohnsey, to the borderline with Gaza arsenic Emily would beryllium 1 of 10 hostages to beryllium released that night.

Tom had insisted helium needed to bring Johnsey arsenic Emily whitethorn beryllium furious with her dada for "not redeeming her from the violent oregon not rescuing her", but she would consciousness lone emotion and affection for her pet.

After a nerve-wracking delay, the speech went ahead. Emily ran close past her favored canine and flung herself into her dad's embrace, a country captured connected video that melted hearts astir the world.

"When she got backmost aft her 49 days of captivity I realised that contempt what she had gone done she was -- arsenic I texted the (Sunday) Mirror from the borderline -- 'broken but successful 1 piece'.

"There were alarming signs of what she had gone through. She could lone susurration for galore days - they had threatened to termination her with a weapon if she ever raised her voice."

They some anticipation they volition extremity up backmost connected their Kibbutz Be'eri, wherever Thomas, a Dublin-born Londoner earlier helium moved to Israel to enactment successful a printing store connected a kibbutz, spent 30 years of his life.

" I discovered a paradise -- until it turned to hellhole successful conscionable 1 day," helium recalled.

He added; "As we clasp our fantastic day enactment we are each inactive desperately waiting for the instrumentality of the remainder of the hostages.

"There are inactive implicit 100 missing -- mostly guiltless civilians kidnapped successful the tunnels nether Gaza by those murderous terrorists.

Thomas added: " I'm ever alert that immoderate trigger could nonstop Emily spiralling into despair oregon anxiety. A immense item since she was acceptable escaped has been our travel to Disneyland successful Orlando. It was large to spot that she inactive has the capableness to laughter and person fun. No uncertainty this day solemnisation volition besides help.”