Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari has said that citizens being held by Hamas are “not lost” in an apparent jab at the Irish prime minister, Al Jazeera reports.

“Our hostages are not lost, we won’t sit around and hope they are found,” Hagari said during a briefing. “We will rescue our hostages at all costs. It is our duty, it is our moral responsibility.”

Hagari’s comments come on the heels of a diplomatic row centred around Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s response to the release of nine-year-old Israeli-Irish national Emily Hand on Saturday.

Varadkar said in a statement that an “innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned”, prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to accuse the Irish leader of needing a “reality check” and summon the Irish ambassador for a reprimand.