A devastated father said it was a “blessing” that his eight-year-old daughter had been killed by Hamas, because death was better than being taken hostage.

Thomas Hand faced a two-day wait for news about his daughter, Emily, after militants stormed their kibbutz on Saturday 7 October, massacring at least 100 people.

He did not know the whereabouts or fate of his child after she had gone to sleep at a neighbour’s house.

In a heartbreaking interview with CNN, Mr Hand broke down as he recounted the moment he was told Emily’s body had been found.

“I just went ‘Yes!’ and I smiled because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew,” he explained.

“She was either dead, or in Gaza. And if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death.”

Mr Hand added that Emily’s death was an “absolute blessing”.