Thomas Hand, a native of Dublin, has shared with CNN what it's been like reuniting with his daughter Emily, 9, who had been kidnapped by Hamas in Israel on October 7.

Thomas was reunited with his daughter Emily after she was a part of the second group of hostages that was released by Hamas on Saturday, November 25 as part of a wider ceasefire deal.

“The most shocking, disturbing part of meeting her was she was just whispering," Thomas told CNN on Tuesday, November 28.

"You couldn’t hear her. I had to put my ear on her lips and say, ‘What did you say?’”

Mimicking his daughter’s whisper, Hand said his daughter told him: “I thought you were kidnapped.”

“She thought I was in captivity,” Hand said.

Emily was initially thought to have been killed in the October 7 attacks in Israel. She was sleeping over at a friend's house when the attacks unfolded.

Thomas made headlines when he told CNN he felt it was a "blessing" that his daughter had been killed as opposed to being kidnapped by Hamas.

However, later in October, Thomas was informed there was a "high chance" that Emily was in fact still alive and likely taken hostage. 

Along with the families of other hostages, Thomas traveled to both Ireland - where he met with Irish political leaders - and the US to drum up support for not only the release of his daughter but also the other hostages and continues to call for their release after the release of his daughter.

On November 21, Qatar announced that successful joint meditation efforts involving Israel, Hamas, Egypt, and the US resulted in an agreement for a humanitarian pause as well as the release of hostages.

Emily was part of the second group of hostages released on November 25.

"All of a sudden, the doors opened up, and she just ran," Thomas recounted.

"It was beautiful, just like I imagined it, running together.

"I squeezed - I probably squeezed too hard."

According to CNN, there was no evidence that Emily was physically abused, but she did lose a lot of weight and had head lice.

According to CNN, the hostages had enough food to survive and plenty of water to drink. In captivity, the children could not make noise and were allowed to do little but draw and play with some cards.

Emily was released alongside her friend Hila Rotem-Shoshani. Hila’s mother Raaya, who cared for the girls in the captivity as if they were both her daughters, was reportedly separated from the girls two days before their release.

Thomas told CNN on Tuesday that he thought his daughter was “in the tunnels, but she wasn’t in the tunnels. They were actually fleeing from house to house."

Thomas said Emily doesn't like it referred to as Gaza, but refers to being in "the box," and that she told him she thought she was in "the box" for a year.

“Apart from the whispering, that was like a punch in the guts," Thomas said.

Thomas told CNN that his daughter cried until her face was "red and blotchy" the night before.

"She didn't want any comfort," he said. "I guess she's forgotten how to be comforted. I just had to wait until she came out of it by herself. And she knows how to do that. She's a very determined little girl, very strong.

"I knew that her spirit would get her through it."

You can watch Thomas Hand’s latest interview with CNN here: