Gaza: Israel summons Irish ambassador over Hamas hostage row
Irish Leader Defends Comments Amid Israeli Criticism
Leo Varadkar stated that a child, who was lost without any fault of their own, has been found and reunited with their family.
On Monday, the Irish ambassador is scheduled to have a meeting with the foreign minister of Israel.
The minister, Eli Cohen, has called Sonya McGuinness for a meeting where they will discuss her behavior and give her a formal warning.
After the news of the release of nine-year-old hostage Emily Hand, the Taoiseach made some remarks.
Leo Varadkar stated that a child who did not do anything wrong and got lost has now been located.
Leo Varadkar, the Prime Minister of Ireland also known as the Taoiseach, has stood by his comments regarding the release of Emily Hand despite receiving backlash from Israel's foreign minister.
According to him, almost everyone will understand the message that I conveyed.
The article refers to something Mr. Varadkar said on Saturday regarding the release of Emily Hand, a nine-year-old girl who had been taken captive by Hamas.
The leader of Ireland expressed great happiness and a sense of relief upon hearing about the release of the young girl who was of Irish and Israeli heritage. He went on to say that it was a wonderful thing that an innocent child who was lost has now been safely located and returned.
On Monday, the Israeli foreign minister will have a meeting with the Irish ambassador due to an escalating diplomatic dispute related to the statement.
Eli Cohen declared that he planned to call Sonya McGuinness for a "rebuke" after the taoiseach made "shocking" remarks.
The BBC cannot be held accountable for the material presented on websites not affiliated with them.
Leo Varadkar's Twitter update can be skipped.
The content on this page is from Twitter. Prior to uploading anything, we request for your authorization due to the possibility of cookies and other technologies being utilized. You might want to take a look at Twitter's policies on cookies, privacy, and external content prior to approving it. If you would like to see this content, please click on 'accept and continue'.
The content of external sites is not under the responsibility of the BBC.
On Saturday night, 17 individuals were delivered, and Emily was among them.
According to Mr. Cohen, the taoiseach requires a reminder of reality.
On X, previously known as Twitter, a statement was made stating that Emily Hand was not lost.
A terrorist group, that was more dreadful than ISIS, abducted her and also killed her stepmother.
The tweet cannot be seen in your web browser. Make sure Javascript is enabled or switch to another browser to view the original content on Twitter.
BBC is not accountable for any material found on outside websites.
Disregard the second Twitter post authored by Eli Cohen.
In this blog post, we have information provided by Twitter. We would like to have your consent prior to loading any content as Twitter could be using cookies and other technologies. It’s recommended to go through Twitter’s external cookie policy and privacy policy before giving acceptance. To access the content, please click on ‘accept and continue’.
The external sites' content is not under the BBC's responsibility.
In an interview with RTÉ, Mr. Varadkar stated that most individuals would comprehend his message while he expressed his pleasure at Emily Hand's release.
The prime minister said he has always been adamant in his disapproval of both Hamas and the act of taking hostages.
I urge for the release of all captives unconditionally as I have consistently emphasized before.
He further stated that what matters the most at the moment is that Emily is together with her family in their home, and that surpasses everything else.
Mr Varadkar mentioned that Israel has summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium besides the Irish ambassador. He added that these three ambassadors are ready to clarify their respective nations' stance on the ongoing conflict.
The foreign minister of Israel called for a meeting with Sonya McGuinness, the Irish ambassador, on Sunday.
Micheál Martin, who is the deputy Prime Minister of Ireland (also known as the Tánaiste), expressed his amazement at Israel's response to Mr. Varadkar's statement.
In another conversation with RTÉ, Mr Martin - who holds the position of Ireland's foreign minister as well - expressed that anyone who reads Mr Varadkar's remarks would have no confusion regarding the government’s censure of the Hamas assaults on Israel and the necessity of freeing every captive.
He expressed his shock at the response given by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Our demands have been explicitly stated and we've been persistent in requesting all regional partners to help us get the hostages released. Our sole concentration has been on securing their safe return.
Undoubtedly, our ambassador in Tel Aviv maintains frequent communication with the foreign ministry in Israel and will be unambiguous in articulating Ireland's stance.
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his desire for the recent truce in Gaza to serve as a foundation for further progress, given the distressing number of casualties.
Earlier on BBC NI's Sunday Politics programme, Paschal Donohoe, an Irish minister, said that the taoiseach has made it clear that he condemns the violence of Hamas, and he has also urged the Israeli military forces to show restraint.
Hamas has released 13 hostages from Israel, including Emily Hand.
As part of a mutual agreement between Israel and Hamas, a third set of captives who were being held in Gaza have now been freed.
On October 7th, Hamas militants entered Israel's territory, resulting in a response from the Israeli military. This led to the killing of around 1,200 Israelis and the capture of over 200 hostages.
According to the health ministry of Gaza under the control of Hamas, over 14,500 individuals have lost their lives, with children making up more than one-third of the total numbers. This figure is linked to Israel's response to the situation.
As per the conditions of the short-lived ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, 50 individuals who were held captive will be set free within a four-day period of no violence that was initiated on November 24th at 7:00AM (5:00AM Greenwich Mean Time).
Hamas has announced that as part of an agreement, around 150 Palestinian female youths and women are going to be freed from Israeli prisons. The deal also includes the entry of numerous trucks carrying medical equipment, humanitarian aid, and fuel into Gaza.
