Israel rips Irish PM for calling 9-year-old ‘lost,’ not kidnapped by terrorists

Ireland’s ambassador to Israel expressed surprise that a social media comment from Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar following the release from Hamas captivity of 9-year-old Emily Hand generated outrage from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Ireland’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Ambassador Sonya McGuinness was summoned following a comment Saturday comment from Ireland’s prime minister, known as the taoiseach, calling Israeli-Irish Emily’s release a “day of enormous joy and relief” for her family.

“An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned,” Mr. Varadkar wrote on X.

Eli Cohen, Israel’s foreign minister, shot back on X, accusing the Irish leader of losing “his moral compass and [his] connection to reality.” Mr. Cohen said the girl was not “lost” but had been kidnapped by a “terrorist organization worse than ISIS” after the murder of her stepmother by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.

Emily “and over 30 other Israeli children were kidnapped by Hamas, and you are trying to legitimize it. Shame on you,” Mr. Cohen wrote.

During the meeting Monday, Ms. McGuinness presented Israeli government officials with full statements about the release from Mr. Varadkar and his deputy, Michael Martin.

“These statements referenced the traumatic experience endured by Emily and her family, reiterated thanks to international partners who had facilitated her freeing from captivity, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza,” the Irish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“In this context, Ambassador McGuinness expressed surprise on the part of the Irish government that these expressions of evident relief at Emily’s release had been publicly criticized by the Israeli government,” the statement said.

Mr. Martin said he “strongly reiterated” his calls for the unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas.

“There can be no military solution to this crisis, and we again urge all parties to take this chance to maintain and build on the positive developments that we have seen these recent days and find a path to peace and security,” Mr. Martin said.