After Emily Hand, 9, and 12 other abductees were released from Hamas captivity on Saturday, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar welcomed the return of Hand, whose father is an Irish citizen. But in a message sharing his joy, he claimed it was an "innocent girl who was lost."
"This is a day of immense joy and happiness for Emily and her family," he wrote in a tweet. "This is an innocent girl who was lost and came back, and now we are finally breathing a sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered."
This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. 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.
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) November 25, 2023
The Foreign Ministry did not remain indifferent to the misleading and delusional wording chosen by the Irish prime minister. "That's how you describe a girl who got lost on a walk in the forest," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayalon Levy replied. "That's not how you describe a girl who was tortured and whose neighbors were brutally murdered. It shows what Ireland's main contribution is to the effort to shut down – especially prayers."
This is how you describe a little girl who went missing during a stroll in a forest, then gets discovered by a friendly hiker. Not a girl brutally abducted by death squads that brutally massacred her neighbors. But this explains the extent of Ireland's contribution: prayers. https://t.co/tewkG4WhqZ
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) November 25, 2023
The story of 9-year-old Emily Hand, who was released tonight (between Saturday and Sunday), is one of the most extraordinary stories. At first, her father Thomas Hand was told that she had been murdered in the October 7 massacre in Bari. At the time, he burst into tears on live television when he said he was relieved that his daughter had been murdered and not kidnapped, explaining: "What they do to people in Gaza is worse than death. The gospel was an absolute blessing." A few days later, however, the family received the news that little Emily was alive, but kidnapped in Gaza.
Emily Hand before the kidnapping, photo: courtesy of the family
Her family found it hard to hide their excitement over her return: "Emily is back to us, we have no words to describe our emotions after 50 difficult and complicated days. We are happy, but we do not forget for a moment Raya Rotem, who did not return today, and all the abductees who are still there, and we will continue to do everything to bring them back. We thank everyone who wrapped us up, supported us and fought with us to get to this moment when Emily is here with us."
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