After Captivity, Israeli-Irish Girl Avoids Saying ‘Gaza’ or ‘Blood’

By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Over two months after her release from Gaza, Emily Hand, the Israeli-Irish girl who was one of the youngest hostages held by Hamas, has moved on from speaking in frightened whispers. However, she still chooses not to disclose the names of her captors or the location of her imprisonment.

Now living in a temporary home with her father Tom, they have created a unique way to communicate about her experiences. A whiteboard displays a lexicon where certain foods symbolize memories she prefers to forget. For instance, the Gaza Strip is referred to as "the box," terrorists are called "olives," an abducted person is "cheese," a murdered individual is "cottage cheese," and blood is likened to "watermelon."

"Sometimes it doesn’t feel good for me to say such words," Emily explained during an interview with a local news outlet.

Tom shared that Emily sleeps in his room to help manage the nightmares she has experienced, which often involve her trying to escape from the apartment where she was held for seven weeks. During the harrowing Oct. 7 assault by Hamas, the kibbutz they belong to, Kibbutz Beeri, lost a significant number of its residents, leading to an ongoing conflict.

While separated from Tom during her captivity, Emily had no way of knowing if her father had survived. Upon seeing deceased individuals in her community as she was taken into Gaza, she worried that he might be among them or possibly also captured.

When they were finally reunited in late November during a temporary truce, Tom recounted how his feelings of doubt and guilt disappeared as Emily looked at him with relief, saying, "I thought you were dead. I thought you were kidnapped."

Initially, Emily struggled to speak audibly, having been threatened by a male captor to remain quiet. While her voice has returned to a more normal state, she still tends to follow Tom closely around their home and requests that he stand guard outside the bathroom during her showers. During the interview, she seemed more expressive, roller skating around the house and playing with a dog.

"Emily has healed extremely fast … the resilience of children," Tom remarked. He noted how she has matured since the ordeal, a sentiment echoed by other parents of children who have gone through similar experiences.

In the immediate aftermath of the outrageous events on Oct. 7, Tom was devastated by a false report that Emily had died. His grief turned to relief when he learned that she was actually a hostage. Tragically, his ex-wife Narkis, who had helped raise Emily after her mother passed away, was found murdered by Hamas.

"For the rest of us, emotional recovery is much slower," Tom reflected. "I’m okay because I’ve got a purpose."

Currently, Israeli authorities estimate that 132 hostages remain in Gaza, with their fate uncertain as mediators work to broker another release agreement. One of Hamas’s conditions for freeing all hostages is the cessation of hostilities in Gaza, along with the release of numerous Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons on security charges.

Israeli officials fear that approximately 30 of the hostages may have died while in captivity. Tearfully addressing the media, Tom urged other families facing similar anguish to "stay strong, stay positive."

"I know it’s very, very hard, but this is proof that it’s possible. It can come back," he expressed. "I had given up all hope, really, and it can happen."