Susan Lawlor from Malahide was abducted from her home at gunpoint in September 2014

Emily's father has revealed how the nine-year-old was led through gunfire in her pyjamas

Israel’s foreign minister Eli Cohen said he had summoned the Irish ambassador in Tel Aviv ‘for a reprimand’.

Leo Varadkar said it remained unclear whether Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand, nine, would be among the first hostages set free.

It comes as Tánaiste Micheál Martin travels to Egypt where the Rafah crossing is located.

Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said he will be raising Emily’s case during a visit to Israel.

One of the woman's sons, aged in his 60s, was assaulted during the incident

A 75-year-old French aid worker held hostage for four years by Islamic extremists in Mali has arrived home – and said she wants to return to her aid work with malnourished children despite the ordeal.