The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, shared a letter on its official Telegram account on November 27 which gained widespread attention on social media.
The letter, originally written in Hebrew, was accompanied by an Arabic translation and a photograph of Danielle Aloni and her daughter Emilia, two Israeli hostages.
According to TRT World, Danielle Aloni and her 5-year-old daughter Emilia were held hostage by Hamas for 49 days in besieged Gaza. On November 24, they were released as part of a temporary ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, reuniting with their relatives.
Before departing Gaza, Danielle Aloni expressed gratitude in a "thank you" letter to Hamas, saying, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your extraordinary humanity shown towards my daughter, Emilia."
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So far, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll stands at 1,200 with 240 hostages into Gaza. Hamas has freed 69 of the hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons as a part of humanitarian truce mediated by Qatar.
The Letter:
“To the generals who have accompanied me in recent weeks, it seems we will part ways tomorrow, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your extraordinary humanity shown towards my daughter, Emilia.
You were like parents to her, inviting her into your rooms whenever she desired. She acknowledges feeling like all of you are her friends, not just friends, but truly beloved and good.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for the many hours you spent as caregivers.
Thank you for being patient with her and showering her with sweets, fruits, and everything available even when it was not.
Children should not be in captivity, but thanks to you and other kind people we met along the way, my daughter felt like a queen in Gaza...
In general, she acknowledges feeling like the centre of the world. She hasn't met anyone on our long journey, from the rank and file to the leadership, who didn't treat her with gentleness, affection, and love.
I will forever be a prisoner of gratitude because she did not leave here with a lifelong psychological trauma. I will remember your kind behavior, granted here despite the difficult situation you were dealing with yourselves and the severe losses you suffered here in Gaza. I wish in this world we could truly be good friends.
I wish you all health and well-being... Health and love to you and your families' children.
Many thanks.
Danyal and Emilia
