The father of an Irish-Israeli girl who was thought to be dead after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October said he’s hoping to get her back alive.

Thomas Hand was initially told her daughter had been murdered along with his ex-wife in an attack on a kibbutz.

His daughter Emily, who is eight, is now believed to be alive and a hostage of Hamas in Gaza.

In a previous interview in the aftermath of the attacks, Mr Hand said he was relieved to have learned that Emily was dead as it meant “she wasn’t going to be in any more pain or stress.”

But now speaking to the BBC’s Clive Myrie, Mr Hand said in some ways he regretted making those comments “just because of some of the things I said – some things that might have put her in danger.”

Emily was in Kibbutz Be’eri, about three miles from Gaza, where 100 people were killer when Hamas launched its attack.

Read more: Dad of missing Irish-Israeli girl has hope again