‘Smiling again’ – Father of Emily Hand shares emotional update

Emily Hand has been described as a fighter

The young girl was at a sleepover in Hibbut Be’eri during the Hamas attack.

Emily was one of 250 people taken during the attacks in Israel on October 7th.

Emily was freed during a brief truce in November, but the Irish-Israeli girl is still recovering from the ordeal.

Her father Tom Hand said his daughter is a "fighter" but she is receiving therapy to cope with the trauma she has endured.

In an interview with The Irish Sun, her father said she continues to have nightmares.

However, his little girl is "smiling again."

He told the publication: "Emily still gets scared of loud noises and wasn’t able to sleep alone for a long time after she came back.

"She still has nightmares but counselling has helped and things are much better now," he added.

Mr. Hand added that his daughter has developed an inner strength following the horrors she faced.

He continued: "In some ways she’s even stronger than she was before.

"It’s given her inner strength, knowing that she dealt with what the Hamas threw at her," he said.

Her father confirmed that she's attending school and is also making friends.

However, the psychological scars will always remain.

Emily Hand and her father have settled in Kibbutz Hatzerim, but he hopes to return to Kibbutz Be’eri one day.

READ MORE: