Israeli Hostage Marks Her Ninth Birthday in Hamas Captivity

A little girl abducted from a kibbutz by Hamas turned nine years old on Friday while still in the captivity of the militant group.

Emily Hand, who holds Israeli and Irish citizenship, was taken while at a sleepover at her friend’s house in Kibbutz Be’eri. Emily’s friend’s mom, Raya Rotem, was also taken, with Israel estimating that over 240 people were abducted by Hamas in total and taken to Gaza. More than 100 people were brutally killed in Emily’s kibbutz.

In the days after the massacre, in which families were slaughtered together and some people were allegedly burned alive, Emily’s father was told she was among the dead. In a heartbreaking viral interview at the time, Tom Hand told CNN about his relief that his daughter had been killed—calling it the best scenario for what might have happened to her as gunmen rampaged through their community.

Read more at The Daily Beast.