Israeli girl released from Hamas captivity now only ‘whispers’, says her father

Emily Hand, the nine-year-old girl released after Hamas held her hostage for 50 days, will now only talk in whispers having been ordered to stay silent by her captors, her father told British tabloid The Sun in an interview published on Wednesday.

"She was a normal happy noisy kid but now she whispers -- she was moving her lips with no volume or even air coming out," Thomas Hand was quoted as saying.

"She's got used to talking like that for the past 50 days and now I guess she can't stop," he said, adding he will now do "whatever it takes" to aid her recovery