Father of missing Irish-Israeli girl talks of 'his worst nightmare'

An Irishman whose nine-year-old daughter is believed to have been abducted by Hamas has described the incident as "his worst nightmare".

Dublin-born Tom Hand was initially informed that Emily Hand was among a group of people killed in an attack on a kibbutz on 7 October.

The Irish embassy in Israel later confirmed to Irish broadcaster RTÉ that Emily was believed to have been abducted rather than killed.

Mr Hand said on Monday that he prayed that he would get Emily back.

But he said he knew that she would be "very broken" and it would "take a long time to fix her".

He was speaking at a news conference at the Israeli embassy in London, where some of the hostages’ families pleaded for their release.

“They took her away, led away by terrorists… kidnapped and taken to Gaza,” Mr Hand said.

“And now we are just waiting for news.

"This is my worst nightmare - believe me, it’s a nightmare.

“If you have families and kids, just imagine one day [that] one of them is gone.

"The sheer terror of a nine-year old-girl down in those dark tunnels.

“Sheer terror and panic every hour of every day.

"She must be saying every day: ‘Where is my daddy - why isn’t he coming to save me?’”

Speaking to RTÉ earlier this month, Emily's family said the Israeli Defense Forces now believed there was a "high possibility" she was among the people being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Emily was in Kibbutz Be'eri, about three miles from Gaza, when Hamas launched its attack.

More than 100 people were killed in the kibbutz.

Israel began attacking Gaza after Hamas fighters crossed the border on 7 October, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostage.

Since the Hamas attacks of 7 October, Israel has been carrying out military action in Gaza.

Emily Hand is still missing but had initially been reported dead in the 7 October attack

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs previously said it was "aware of the case of Emily Hand and is providing consular assistance to her family".

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 13,000 people have been killed in the territory since Israel began its campaign against Hamas.