Thomas Hand waited two days to discover the fate of his eight-year-old daughter Emily after the Be’eri Kibbutz, where the innocent young girl was at a sleepover with a friend, was attacked by murderous Hamas terrorists leaving more than 100 people dead.
Hand said the kibbutz came under gunfire for about 12 hours that day and he did not know the whereabouts or fate of his child.
He spoke with CNN about the tragic relief he felt to know that his daughter died and was not in the hands of Hamas terrorists.
“They just said, ‘We found Emily. She’s dead.’ And I went yes! I went yes, and smiled because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew.”
“That was the best possibility that I was hoping for. She was either dead, or in Gaza. And if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death, that is worse than death.”
“The way they treat you. They’d have no food, no water. She’d be in a dark room filled with Christ knows how many people, and terrified every minute, hour, day, and possible years to come.”
“So death was a blessing, an absolute blessing.
Watch the interview below (warning graphic):
#Irish Father Thomas Hand WELCOMES news his 8-year-old daughter Emily was killed by #Hamas monsters rather than being kidnapped and taken hostage – ‘ Death was a blessing’ may Emily Hand’s memory be a blessing. https://t.co/glS3dfitwU
— Irish Jewish Voice (@Irishchutzpah) October 12, 2023
Kim Dante, 22, another Irish citizen, was also murdered by Hamas.
Two Irish daughters dead, yet here is what happened outside the Israel Embassy in Dublin, Ireland.
Sizeable enough crowd arriving to Palestine solidarity march in Dublin city centre this afternoon – not getting into crowd estimates, but probably the biggest of the week so far @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/K457V2HOl5
— Stephen McDermott (@Ste_McDermott) October 14, 2023
Earlier in the week, Cosmetics brand Lush came under fire after one of their shops placed a ‘boycott Israel’ sign in their window of their Dublin, Ireland branch.
