LONDON: According to an interview published in The Sun on Wednesday, Emily Hand, the nine-year-old girl who was released after being held hostage by Hamas for 50 days, now communicates only in whispers. Her father, Thomas Hand, mentioned that she used to be a normal, happy, and noisy child, but since her release, she has been whispering, moving her lips without any audible sound or breath.

"She has become accustomed to speaking in this manner over the past 50 days, and now it seems challenging for her to change," he remarked. He expressed his commitment to doing "whatever it takes" to support her recovery.

Emily, an Irish-Israeli citizen, was staying overnight at a friend's house on the Beeri kibbutz when Hamas militants raided the compound and abducted her on October 7. Initially, her father feared she had been killed.

Hand expressed his overwhelming happiness and gratitude to the newspaper for Emily's safe return. He shared that she had not experienced any abuse during her captivity but had undergone weight loss.

He disclosed that upon their reunion, the first thing Emily wanted to do was watch a video featuring the pop star Beyonce.

Emily was released as part of an agreement to free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the current truce in the conflict. According to Israel, around 240 people were captured in the October 7 attack by Hamas, resulting in 1,200 casualties, primarily civilians. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports that a subsequent Israeli air and ground campaign in the territory has led to nearly 15,000 deaths, with the majority being ordinary Palestinians.