Hostage taking in Gaza
Ireland’s head of government: X-Post causes outrage in Israel
Emily Hand turned nine years old while she was being held hostage. photo
© David Young/PA Wire/dpa
She celebrated her ninth birthday while held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Now the Irish-Israeli girl, who was initially thought to be dead, has been released by Hamas. Her family is overjoyed.
An X-post by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar about the release of a nine-year-old Irish-Israeli girl from captivity in the Gaza Strip has caused anger. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Sunday that Israel wanted to summon the Irish ambassador because of the “outrageous statements”.
Ireland’s head of government wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter, on Saturday evening: “This is a day of great joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. An innocent child who was lost has now been found and has returned, and we are breathing relieved.”
X-Post Varadkar
In Israel, this description was criticized as trivializing the hostage-taking by the Islamist Hamas. Benny Gantz, minister in Israel’s war cabinet, wrote at
X-Post Benny Gantz
Girl initially thought to be dead
After the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, the girl was initially thought to be dead. Her Irish-born father, Thomas Hand, tearfully expressed his relief in an emotional television interview that she had not fallen into the hands of Hamas because that would have been “worse than death.” It was later said that she might have been kidnapped as a hostage after all. Last week, Thomas Hand made an emotional appeal calling for his daughter’s release and said the family was experiencing a nightmare.
Irish Cabinet member Paschal Donohoe told the BBC on Sunday that Varadkar had clearly condemned Hamas’ violence. Emily’s release is a tribute to her father’s work, dignity and restraint. But it would not have been possible without diplomatic efforts by the Irish government with partners in the USA, Egypt and Qatar, said Donohoe. “Even today we need to remember what a calm word and a good argument can achieve and what value it has when countries work together.”
On Saturday evening, the Red Cross brought a total of 13 Israelis – including four German-Israelis – and four Thai citizens across the border into Egypt. After crossing the border, the hostages were flown to a hospital in Israel. At the hospital, Emily was reunited with her father and two half-siblings. In total, around 240 people were abducted into the Gaza Strip on October 7th, including numerous foreigners and dual citizens.