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Amid the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, an Israeli government spokesman has lashed out at Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar over his statement regarding the release of hostage Emily Hand, a nine-year-old girl.
The Irish girl, whose father first believed she had been killed on 7 October, was among the 13 Israeli hostages released on Saturday by Hamas.
Following the return of Emily Hand, Irish PM Varadkar wrote on the X platform, “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”.
Responding to Varadkar’s post on the X platform, Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy wrote, ” Emily Hand wasn’t “lost”. She was brutally abducted by the death squads that massacred her neighbors.
She wasn’t “found”. Hamas knew where she was all along and cynically held her as a hostage”.
Levy told Vardkar that Hamas militants did not answer their prayers but it was the Israeli military’s pressure that saved the young girl.
The young Israeli-Irish girl, whose mother died of cancer when she was two-and-a-half years old, celebrated her 9th birthday in captivity on 17 November, according to her father, Thomas Hand.
“She spent her birthday in the tunnels of Gaza,” he said at a gathering in her honour in London that day.
Hand is among some 240 Israeli civilians who were taken by Hamas amid their surprise attack on 7 October that launched the war with Israel and held as hostages.
On Saturday, Hamas militants released 17 hostages, including 13 Israelis, from captivity in the Gaza Strip, while Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners in the latest stage of a four-day cease-fire.
Notably, on the first day of the temporary truce, 24 hostages were released, predominantly Israeli and Thai citizens.
The cease-fire, brokered by Qatar and the US, is the first extended break in fighting since the war began. Overall, Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners. All are women and minors.
Israel has said the truce can be extended by an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed but has vowed to quickly resume its offensive and complete its goals of returning all hostages and destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
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