THIS is the heartwarming moment an Israeli girl held hostage by Hamas was reunited with her classmates on her first day back at school.
Emelia Aloni, 5, and her mum Danielle were held captive underground in Gaza for 49 days after Hamas terrorists stormed over the border on October 7 and snatched hundreds of Israelis.
TwitterEmelia Aloni had a huge grin on her face as she was welcomed back to school[/caption]
TwitterA group of classmates embraced her as she walked up the steps to school[/caption]
TwitterMore friends came out and gave her a big hug one by one to welcome her back[/caption]
ReutersEmelia Aloni and her mother Danielle were held hostage by Hamas for 49 days[/caption]
They were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz – less than two miles from the border with Gaza – and released last week as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Emelia returned to her school on Tuesday – and was seen beaming as staff and classmates welcomed her back after eight weeks.
One staff member gave her a hug before she ran to embrace her pals – and more students rushed out to greet her with open arms.
Dressed in a blue t-shirt and pink leggings, Emelia was seen with a huge grin on her face as she reunited with her friends and teachers.
Little Amelia and her mum faced 49 days of hell – with Danielle saying it was like a horror movie.
Danielle was forced to praise the “extraordinary humanity” of Hamas while in Gaza, writing an open letter under duress in which she said her daughter was being treated “like a queen”.
The letter read: “I sincerely thank you from the depths of my heart for your extraordinary humanity shown towards my daughter.
“You’ve treated her like parents, inviting her to your rooms, making her feel that you’re not just friends, but true caring loved ones.
“Kids shouldn’t be in prison, but thanks to you and other kind people we met along the way… my daughter considered herself a queen in Gaza.”
But Danielle revealed the truth ten days after her release.
She said: “On October 7, we were brutally kidnapped from our home.
“Our daughter saw things that children at that age, or at any age, should not see.
“It was a horror movie — you feel like you want to pinch yourself and wake up from this movie.
“People can die because their abductors simply decided to murder them.”
Hamas released 105 women and children before a seven-day ceasefire deal collapsed on Friday.
About 160, including two children, are still being held.
Israel has pounded Gaza with a total of 710 shells for every square mile since the beginning of the bloody war.
Its forces launched an assault in the south of Gaza on Tuesday in the biggest attack since the temporary ceasefire expired last week.
Israeli tanks were seen rolling into eastern parts of terror stronghold Khan Younis crossing from the Israeli border fence and advancing west.
Fierce fighting erupted on Monday as armoured columns came under fire and thousands of civilians fled in panic.
The onslaught was supported by Israeli warplanes and artillery as Israel said it’s now expanding its ground campaign to the rest of the enclave.
“We’re moving ahead with the second stage now. A second stage that is going to be difficult militarily,” government spokesperson Eylon Levy told reporters in a briefing.
Palestinian civilians have been left fleeing for their lives as Israel attempts to destroy Hamas after the terror group massacred 1,200 civilians on October 7.
Families living in Gaza have been caught in the brutal crossfire, with regular accusations that the terrorists are attempting to use them as “human shields”.
Much of the northern part of the strip has been turned into a devastated warzone – with ruined buildings, dwindling supplies and horrific suffering for Gaza’s people.
According to Gaza health officials, more than 15,900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air and strikes – with thousands missing and feared buried under rubble.
Israeli bombardments have driven 80 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents from their homes, most fleeing south.
Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Israel has “not been successful” in reducing civilian casualties – but he said the deaths must be blamed on Hamas – not Israel.
Since the truce collapsed, Israel has been posting an online map to tell people in Gaza which parts of the enclave to evacuate to.
But James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF, said the areas designated “safe” by by Israel were merely “tiny patches of barren land”, street corners, sidewalks or half-built buildings unsuitable for the hundreds of thousands of people in desperate need of shelter.
The fighting continues amid calls for a permanent ceasefire.
APEmelia Aloni reunites with her grandmother after being released by Hamas[/caption]