Israel has summoned Ireland’s Ambassador to Israel Sonya McGuinness to protest Dublin’s reference to Gaza hostage Emily Hand as a “lost child” who has been “found” following her return to Israel late Saturday night.
Hand, a nine-year-old Israeli-Irish girl, was among some 240 people seized by Hamas during its attack on southern Israel on October 7 and was initially believed to have been killed by the terror group.
“This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen posted that the statement was “outrageous.”
Cohen to Varadkar: seems you have lost your moral compass
In a separate post directed at Varadkar, Cohen wrote, “It seems you have lost your moral compass and need a reality check!
“Emily Hand was not “lost”, she was kidnapped by a terror organization worse than ISIS that murdered her stepmother.
Emily and more than 30 other Israeli children were taken hostage by Hamas, and you @LeoVaradkar are trying to legitimize and normalize terror.”
“Shame on you!,” he added.
Varadkar’s post, however, did not include the entire statement, which did mention the kidnapping even though it did not call out Hamas.
The second paragraph read, “A little girl was snatched from her home and held captive for almost seven weeks. She spent her birthday night as a hostage. We hope she will soon heal and recover from the traumatic experience in the loving embrace of her family.”
“We can not forget that many more hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Their fate is unknown, but we hope, like Emily, they will also be allowed to return to their homes and their families.”
Conor McGregor condemns PM's statement
Varadkar’s comments, however, sparked an intense debate on X. Critics accused Varadkar of antisemitism for failing to call out Hamas and because his tweet made it appear as if he was ignoring the kidnapping altogether.
Irish cage fighter Conor McGregor who has already been critical of Varadkar wrote on X that Hand was “abducted by an evil terrorist organization.
“What is with you [Varadkar] and your government and your paid-for media affiliates constantly downplaying/attempting to repress horrific acts that happen to children. You are a disgrace. “The day after a stabbing of children in Ireland, NOT ONE PAPER HAD IT ON THEIR FRONT COVER. We will not forget,” he stated.
One tongue-in-cheek post on X by @ShaulAdler seemed to indicate that speaking of Hand as “lost child” was akin to using that phrase to describe the famous Dutch teenage diarist Anne Frank who was killed by the Nazis during World War II.
He posted Anne Frank’s photo under the following sentence. “Lost Girl: last seen in Amsterdam. Any sighting please call Leo Varadkar.”
The online pro-Israel group Act-IL, operating on X as @Act_On_, posed a graphic of Varadkar with a green Hamas bandana holding a lost and found box with Hand inside.
It stated, “Thank you, Irish PM Leo Varadkar, for locating Gaza’s “Lost and Found” box. Are the rest of our hostages there?”
Those who defended Varadkar noted that he appeared to be quoting from the New Testament in his post about Hand.
Naomi O’Leary, the European Correspondent for The Irish Times, posted on X, “For those who have missed the reference: “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” Luke 15:11.”
Elad Simchayoff, who is the European Correspondent for Israel’s Channel 12 news posted on X in response, “Well, some might have missed it because Emily is Jewish. Or it might be because Leo Varadkar is a Prime Minister and not a pastor and as such, was expected to call out terrorism directly and boldly, especially when targeted against a nine-year-old Irish girl. Let alone act for her release instead of praying.”