An Irish-Israeli schoolgirl is among 17 hostages freed by Hamas in return for dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in the second swap under a truce deal.
Emily Hand, from Kibbutz Be’eri, celebrated her ninth birthday in captivity on Friday.
The girl, who was one of 13 Israelis freed on Saturday, was among 240 hostages abducted 50 days ago during the 7 October attack on Israel. She was reunited with her father, Thomas, following her release.
Six of the freed Israelis were women and seven were teenagers or children. Four Thais were also released from Hamas captivity.
In response, Israel released 39 Palestinians – six women and 33 minors – from two prisons, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said.
Israel-Gaza latest updates
The hostage-prisoner swap on Saturday had been delayed by several hours due to a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza.
“Emily has come back to us,” the Hand family said in a statement.
“We can’t find the words to describe our emotions after 50 challenging and complicated days.
“We are overjoyed to embrace Emily again, but at the same time, we remember all the hostages who have yet to return.
“We will persist in doing everything in our power to bring them back home.”
Emily was sleeping at her best friend’s house when Hamas gunmen broke in, before losing contact with her family.
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Irish-Israeli schoolgirl released
Relatives were initially told her body had been found – but the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) later informed them of eence indicating that she was among the hostages held in Gaza.
Emily’s father, Thomas, originally from Dun Laoghaire in Dublin, last week pleaded for her release, saying getting Emily back was his “reason for living”.
Her family held a birthday party for her in the Irish capital as they campaigned for her freedom.
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Emily had her ninth birthday in captivity
Mr Hand met Irish leaders including prime minister Leo Varadkar, who described her release as “a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily and her family”.
Mr Varadkar said: “We hope she will soon heal and recover from the traumatic experience.”
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Emily was initially feared dead before the IDF informed her family that she was among the Hamas hostages
He hailed Emily’s father for his “courage and determination” to ensure she would be freed.
“Irish people everywhere share in the relief of Emily’s family,” he added.
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The hostage-prisoner swap risked being derailed when Hamas’ armed wing said on Saturday it was delaying releases until Israel met all truce conditions, including committing to let aid trucks into northern Gaza.
The deal was saved after mediation by Qatar and Egypt in a process that also involved US President Joe Biden.
The IDF said the United Nations and international organisations distribute aid within the Gaza Strip.
The latest exchange came on the second day of a temporary ceasefire that has allowed humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip and given civilians their first respite after seven weeks of war.
On the first day of the four-day ceasefire, Hamas released 24 of the about 240 hostages, while Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison.
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Israeli boy reunited with family
Those freed in Gaza were 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Filipino.
Under the temporary truce agreement, which was mediated by Qatar, the militant group will release one Israeli hostage for every three prisoners freed.
During the four days of the ceasefire, Hamas is due to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has said the truce can be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages released – a move backed by Mr Biden.
Read more:Israeli boy reunited with family after more than six weeks in Hamas captivityCould truce see Hamas gain initiative?Why there’s huge controversy over hostage deal
The start of the truce on Friday morning brought the first moment of peace for 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, which has been under relentless Israeli bombardment in the wake of last month’s insurgent massacre launched from the territory.
Rocket fire by Hamas into Israel has also ceased.
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Jubilation in West Bank as prisoners freed
The UN said the pause enabled it to scale up the delivery of food, water and medicine to Gaza in the face of a humanitarian crisis in the previously besieged enclave.
Israel launched its onslaught on Gaza after insurgents stormed across the border fence on 7 October – killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
The Israeli retaliation against the territory has killed some 14,000 Gazans, around 40% of them children, according to Hamas-ruled health authorities.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas.
