Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he hopes Emily Hand, the Irish-Israeli girl presumed to be held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, will be freed in the next few days.
Mr Varadkar told RTÉ that it is not yet confirmed that Emily will be among the hostages soon to be released, but he hopes that she will be.
He said it is understood the four-day ceasefire will commence tomorrow and hopes it will lead to a “more lasting ceasefire,” adding his wish for leaders to start discussing a two-state solution.
Addressing the Dáil on Wednesday , the Taoiseach said: “The ceasefire will facilitate the release of 50 hostages being held by Palestinians, including, we hope, Emily Hand and will also facilitate the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.”
“Sadly the Israeli government doesn’t listen to us… They used to listen to the Americans, I’m not even sure that’s the case anymore,” he added.
“They are, as President Biden said, at risk of being blinded by rage and it is a sad reality that I’m not actually sure that any action or statement by us or the European Union or the US will change the current course of action that they’re on.”
Emily, who turned nine last week, is presumed to be among the almost 240 people kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th when 3,000 militants from Gaza carried out an incursion into southern Israel.
