ieExplains: Who is the Irish Ambassador to Israel and why is she in the news?
Sonya McGuinness with Israel's President Isaac Herzog. Picture: Israeli Presidents Office
The Irish Ambassador for Israel has been "summoned" by the Israeli government in the wake of a social media storm.
The issue comes days after the release of Emily Hand, a child who had been kidnapped by Hamas.
Ms Hand was reunited with her family on Sunday, with her father Thomas saying that she has "lost a lot of weight from her face and body but generally is doing better than we expected".
The Irish Ambassador to Israel is Sonya McGuinness.
Ms McGuinness had previously been Ireland's ambassador to Turkey.
She was appointed as ambassador to Israel in November of 2022, with the move becoming official in September this year.
The Irish embassy in Israel is located in Ramat Gan, about 20 minutes away from Tel Aviv
Upon her appointment, Israel's president Isaac Herzog said: "Ireland and Irish culture are deeply respected in Israel, and you can do much to promote relations between our peoples."
Ms McGuinness has been "summoned" to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs "for a reprimand" following Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's statement on the release of Emily Hand.
Mr Varadkar had said in a tweet that there was an "enormous joy and relief" at the return of Emily after 50 days.
He added that "an innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief".
However, this caused issues with the Israeli government, with their foreign minister Eli Cohen saying he "needed a reality check.
In response to Mr Varadkar, Mr Cohen wrote: "Following the outrageous words of the Prime Minister of Ireland about the release of Amelie Hand, who was kidnapped to Gaza by the terrorist organization Hamas, I summoned the Irish Ambassador to Israel for a reprimand.
"Emily Hand was not 'lost', she was kidnapped by a terror organisation worse than ISIS that murdered her stepmother," he added.
"Emily and more than 30 other Israeli children were taken hostage by Hamas, and you Leo Varadkar are trying to legitimize and normalize terror. Shame on you!"
