Overview
- Emily Hand, taken from Be'eri kibbutz on October 7, 2023 and held in Gaza for about 50 days, has recovered her voice and now speaks publicly for a ceasefire and hostage releases.
- Her father says she is thriving at school and pushing herself with activities such as surfing and skydiving after intensive therapy and support.
- Lasting trauma persists, with episodes of nightmares, fear of the dark, and memories of threats that forced her to stay silent in captivity.
- She has addressed crowds in Tel Aviv and on Israeli television, urging a peace deal and ending her remarks with a call to world leaders to bring the hostages home.
- Talks in Egypt continued this week, with a senior Hamas official saying lists of prisoners and hostages were exchanged, and reports noting U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Sharm el-Sheikh as proposals on swaps and ceasefire terms are discussed.