On October 7th, 2023, Thomas Hand’s daughter was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri, close to the Gaza border, where 102 people were killed. She was held in Gaza for 50 days before being released as part of a truce deal.
First of all, three years on, how is Emily?
She’s doing amazing to be honest. Unbelievable. Just like a normal, everyday kid. Just like all her friends.
Does she talk about her period in captivity?
No, we don’t really talk about it. We put it in the past and left it there. It’s all around us all the time anyway so we don’t dwell on it.
Does she follow the news, because Gaza is in the news all the time?
No. I don’t have it on the television. She doesn’t need to be submersed in that. She’s 11 years old. She’s just doing girlie things.
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Are there any triggers? I remember last time we spoke you mentioned olives, because that was one of the few things she was allowed to eat in captivity on her near-starvation diet.
No, there’s no more triggers. The only thing I might say is that she has nightmares, but that’s normal for a kid that age. She sleeps in her own bed now pretty much every night.
What about yourself? Because it’s not just the hostages, but many of the parents, siblings and children of hostages also suffered stress or anxiety that often continues until this day. How are you coping?
I’m okay. I’m obviously not the same person I was before October 7th. I’m more introverted. I don’t go out much. I don’t meet many of my old friends. It’s pretty sad really but I’m comfortable with it. I’m not depressed or anything, it’s just a different way of living now.
And that’s directly related to those events?
Yes. After October 7th everything else is not so important. I find it very hard to do small talk and I don’t particularly want to talk about October 7th forever.
You described Be’eri as a heaven on earth, but you are still living with Emily on another kibbutz close to Beersheba in the south of Israel. Why haven’t you returned?
Most of the kibbutz is still here on Kibbutz Hatzerim. They’ve been very good to us. We’ve been waiting until the demolition of the neighbourhoods destroyed in Be’eri is completed and the new neighbourhoods are built. We are waiting for all-clear and by the middle of next year we will hopefully be going back.
Is Emily looking forward to that?
Yeah, she can’t wait. This is her bat mitzvah year and her biggest dream is to celebrate her bat mitzvah in Be’eri. It’s a very, very special occasion.
Will this be another step towards closure?
Absolutely, it will be back to normality instead of living like refugees. But it will always be in the back our heads that it could happen again one day.
You thanked the Irish Government for their efforts to bring about Emily’s release. Since then bilateral relations have deteriorated and Israel closed its embassy in Dublin. We saw this with the two recent football games between Ireland and Israel. What do you think about this?
[ Uefa to investigate alleged spitting incident at half-time in Ireland v IsraelOpens in new window ]
It’s a shame but politics should not enter into sports, music and the arts. It’s separate.
Do you think relations between Ireland and Israel will ever get back on track?
Not in this climate, no. A big problem is that politicians are vying for the Muslim vote, in Britain and New York.
But that’s not really the case in Ireland is it?
Not yet, but it will be, though. Believe me.
Any plans to visit Ireland with Emily?
Not in the near future, but I’m sure we will. I’ve got family over there and it’s always nice to visit.
Three years after October 7th, Hamas is still in control in parts of Gaza and, according to some reports, has more fighters than before. How does this make you feel?
In the 2014 Gaza war (between Israel and Hamas), the eight-, nine- and 10-year-old kids then became the Hamas fighters, the Nukhba force, and they are the ones who attacked us. In another five or 10 years the kids who feel the retaliation of Israel now will be the next wave.
So you see this as a never-ending war?
Of course. If anyone can give me a solution, I will be very happy. But it will only ever be managed, there will never be peace. If we, God forbid, ever gave them a state of their own we’re finished. It won’t be very long after that. They had their chance with Gaza. I was for it – land for peace. It worked with Egypt and it could have worked with these people ... In Jordan they tried to overthrow the royal family. Why do you think the Arab countries don’t accept any Palestinian refugees any more? They’re not stupid. They’ve learned their lesson. But apparently the West hasn’t.
