Irish PM Says Released 9-Year-Old Hostage Was 'Lost' and then 'Found'

The Irish Taoiseach, the official title of the prime minister (the Irish are very touchy about these things), really stepped in it following the release of 9-year-old Emily Hand from the clutches of Hamas.

The little girl was at a sleepover at a friend's kibbutz on October 7 when Hamas attacked. Her father Tom first thought that Emily had been killed. But earlier this month, the family received the news that Emily had been spotted in a Hamas propaganda video and was presumed to be alive.

But the Irish leader, Leo Varadkar, tweeted out that it was good to have Emily home after she was "lost" and then "found."

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 "readers added context" put Varadkar in his place. As did Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

Mr. Prime Minister,
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,… https://t.co/CD5wIZJN4i

— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) November 26, 2023

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy was even harsher in his assessment of Varadkar's remarks.

“This is how you describe a little girl who went missing during a stroll in a forest, then gets discovered by a friendly hiker,” Levy wrote. “Not a girl brutally abducted by death squads that brutally massacred her neighbors.”

“But this explains the extent of Ireland’s contribution: prayers,” he added.

What else is Ireland supposed to do? Mocking a very religious country's contribution to the crisis is not a way to win friends and influence people.

Other Irish voices were less harsh if not equally outraged.

Emily Hand was not ‘lost’ or mislaid. This is NOT an Oscar Wilde play @LeoVaradkar Emily was cruelly abducted by #Hamas terrorists. Israeli pressure brought her home. https://t.co/hWHiNEYcwV

— Irish Jewish Voice (@Irishchutzpah) November 26, 2023

A few hours after that tone-deaf tweet was posted, Varadkar published a longer statement that tried to set the record straight.

“A little girl was snatched from her home and held captive for almost seven weeks,” Varadkar said in the statement, which also noted that Hand had spent her ninth birthday “as a hostage.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all the hostages in Gaza, but we followed particularly closely the fate of Emily, a dual Irish-Israeli citizen,” Varadkar noted. “Their fate is unknown, but we hope that, like Emily, they will be allowed to return to their homes and their families.”

One X poster noted that Varadkar's "lost and found" wording had its roots in the Bible. Luke 15:31 says "we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

A: Biblical reference “he was dead and is alive again, he was lost and now he is found” B: read the entire statement this is taken from, it is unequivocal on the fact that Emily was cruelly abducted by Hamas.

— Kevin MacDermott (@Kevmacd) November 26, 2023

A misunderstanding, to be sure. But the Taoiseach should have realized how emotional this issue is for Israel and been more careful with his public statements.