- Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce and prisoner swaps both ways
The father of Gaza hostage Emily Hand has said he fears his daughter will not be released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
‘Until I see Emily’s blue eyes looking into my own, I won’t allow myself to believe anything,’ the father from Dublin, 63, wrote in The Independent on Wednesday.
‘News that 50 Hamas hostages might soon be released as part of a four-day truce has given me a glimmer of hope,’ he wrote, ‘but also a new sickness in the depths of my stomach. What if Emily is not among those that her assailants choose to send home?’
Emily Hand, nine, an Irish-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped during Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7, in which some 240 captives were taken back into Gaza.
She is among at least 30 children believed to be still held in the besieged enclave.
Officials have not confirmed whether Emily will be among the first group of 13 hostages held in Gaza due to be released tomorrow at 4pm (2pm GMT), nor the 50 agreed over the period of the four-day truce.
Writing in The Independent, Mr Hand recounted how the morning Hamas gunmen swept through his kibbutz, he was told his daughter had been ‘led away by Hamas and driven away in a flatbed pick-up truck’.
‘Under heavy gunfire, I was escorted off the kibbutz with several other survivors and taken to relative safety by the army, with no idea of where Emily was,’ he wrote.
‘I know every parent says it, but Emily really is the most loving, caring daughter, sister and friend. She hasn’t had an easy life – her mother died of breast cancer when she was just a baby – but you wouldn’t think that to talk to her.
‘She loves to sing, to dance, to perform. She can do cartwheels and the splits – I think she’s destined to be an acrobat when she grows up’.
Emily was just eight-years-old when she was taken away from her family. On the night of October 6, she had slept over at a friend’s house. In the morning, as Hamas descended on the village, Emily, her friend and the friend’s mother were taken captive.
Mr Hand wrote that he was concerned about his daughter’s mental and physical health in captivity.
‘Even if we get her back tomorrow, we’ll be dealing with the damage that has been done for the rest of our lives,’ he wrote.
On Wednesday, Qatar announced that a humanitarian pause had been agreed in Gaza, citing successful mediation efforts with Egypt, the US, Israel and Hamas.
‘The agreement includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement,’ a statement by Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs seen by MailOnline read.
‘The humanitarian pause will also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs.
‘The State of Qatar affirms its commitment to ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, stop the bloodshed, and protect civilians. In this regard, the State of Qatar appreciates the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America in reaching this agreement.’
Israel has provided a list of about 300 Palestinian prisoners who might be released – double the number of women and minors it has agreed to be freed at first – and suggested it expects more than 50 hostages to be released under the deal.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society said that as of Wednesday, 7,200 prisoners were being held by Israel, among them 88 women and 250 children 17 and under.
Most on the list of 300 are from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and were held for incidents such as attempted stabbings, hurling stones at Israeli soldiers, making explosives, damaging property and having contacts with hostile organisations. None are accused of murder.
Many were held under administrative detention, meaning they were held without trial.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will work in Gaza to facilitate the release of the hostages, Qatar said.
The hostages are expected to be transported through Egypt, the only country apart from Israel to share a border with Gaza.
During the truce, trucks loaded with aid and fuel are expected to cross into Gaza, where 2.3 million people have been running out of food and many hospitals have shut down in part because they no longer have fuel for their generators.
The Hamas armed wing said on Thursday that 200 aid trucks and four fuel trucks would enter Gaza daily.
But still, questions remain around the fine details of the prisoner and hostage swaps.
Last night, Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the IDF, said the release of the hostages, in exchange for 150 Palestinians, was a ‘complicated and not closed process’.
‘The coming days will be characterised by moments of relief and moments of pain,’ Hagari said. ‘They can also include attempts at psychological terrorism by the terrorist organisation.’
The truce agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swathes of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.
Hamas killed more than 1,200 people when they launched their raid on Israel on October 7 – an attack that has provoked relentless retaliatory bombardments from Israel, killing more than 14,000, according to the IDF and the Palestinian Health Ministry respectively.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
