Nine year-old Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand has been reunited with her dad, Thomas.
The second hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas went ahead late last night, after it had been previously delayed.
The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Irish President have all welcomed the news.
Emily was kidnapped by Hamas 50 day ago, and held hostage in Gaza until now.
She's among thirteen Israeli hostages and four foreign nationals who have been released by the militant group.
The Taoiseach's statement on the matter is receiving backlash, after he referred to Emily as 'an innocent child who was lost' but has now been found.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, responded, saying Emily had not been lost but kidnapped and accused the Taoiseach of 'attempting to normalise terror' while the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland says "words matter".
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 Irish Ambassador to Israel has been summoned for 'reprimand' over the comments made by Leo Varadkar.
Meanwhile, Irish politicians have defended the Taoiseach's statement, saying the line is a reference to the Bible, and there were no bad intentions with the choice of words.
