Micheál Martin has visited the kibbutz where Irish citizen Emily Hand was last seen.
The Tánaiste was met by a number of survivors who were in to Be’eri Kibbutz during the October 7 attacks who told him of the devastation, fear and trauma of the experience.
He was also shown into the wreckage of family homes that were charred and destroyed when Hamas fighters entered the settlement and killed 100 people and where eight-year-old Emily is believed to have been abducted from.
A barrage of bombs could be heard exploding just a short distance over the border in Gaza as Mr Martin was told of the harrowing scenes witnessed by survivors in the initial attack on the kibbutz.
Major Libby Weiss of the IDF said 80% of the bodies found in the settlement showed signs of torture.
“These were family homes, these were people living here,” she told him.
Earlier in the morning Mr Martin had visited the town of Sderot, which has now been Evacuated and was met by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.
“We know how to deal with rockets. we’ve been doing it for 20 something years,” he was told by Ayelet Shmue, director of the international resilience centre in the town told Me Martin “But when it comes to this, how do you stop someone that comes with a machine gun that just wants to kill you? What do you do with that?” she asked.
Mr Martin told Alon Davidi, Mayor of Sderot that he had come to witness first-hand the attacks on Israel.
“I am here to see, and to listen.” Mr Martin is now travelling to Jerusalem before heading on to the West Bank where he will meet with the Palestinian prime minister.
