Irish-Israeli woman missing in Israel amid attacks

Kim Damti's family has been in contact with Irish consular officials

Officials have been in contact with the family of an Irish-Israeli woman who is unaccounted for in Israel, the tánaiste (deputy prime minister) has said.

Kim Damti, 22, was at a party in southern Israel when she was last seen.

It follows a wave of attacks launched by the Hamas militant group on Saturday.

Micheál Martin said the Department of Foreign Affairs and consular officials were aware of the case.

He added they do not intend on commenting specifically at this time.

'Mummy, what should I do?'

Kim's Irish mother, Jennifer Damti, said she last spoke to her daughter at 06:30 local time on Saturday, just as militants launched their attack.

Her daughter ask: "Mummy, what should I do?".

Kim's brother instructed his sister to take shelter. The family have not heard from her since.

"Kim didn’t realise that there was seven or eight Toyota vans full of terrorists,” Jennifer Damti, told ABC News on Sunday.

"They just shot everywhere, slaughtered them like dogs," she said.

Jennifer Damti said she was sharing her story because she wanted "the world to condemn this behaviour".

"I didn't bring my children up to hate anybody.

"You can’t sleep, all I can think about is where she is, if she’s suffering, if she’s still alive, I just want her back," she added.

Kim's father and brother are now visiting hospitals with Kim's hairbrush, hoping to make a DNA match if necessary.

Irishwoman Jennifer Damti (centre) pictured alongside her other daughters

Israeli security forces are carrying out operations to rescue hostages taken by Palestinian militants from Gaza and clear areas they seized on Saturday.

The military said troops had secured 22 locations by Sunday morning but were still sweeping through another eight.

The surprise attack by hundreds of gunmen from Hamas, under the cover of intense rocket fire, has reportedly killed at least 600 people in Israel.

More than 370 people in Gaza have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes.

And 400 Palestinian gunmen have been killed and dozens arrested during the fighting in Israel, according to the Israeli military.

Taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Varadkar has condemned what he described as an "appalling" surprise attack by Hamas and called for an end to hostilities.

He added that the Irish Embassy was willing to offer assistance to any Irish or dual citizens caught up in the attacks.

Micheál Martin also appealed to all involved to "de-escalate" the situation as soon as possible.