Irish father of girl feared to be hostage in Gaza ‘praying that she comes back’

Thomas Hand has been told that his daughter Emily was taken by Hamas. Emily Hand was originally feared dead after the Hamas assault on Kibbutz Be’eri in Israel on October 7. However, the eight-year-old’s family have been informed she may still be alive and being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Picture: CNN

The Irish father of a girl who is feared to have been kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip has said the family are praying “that she comes back”.

In an appeal to those who may have her, Dubliner Thomas Hand called for “some humane feelings of any kind” for captors to release the children.