Israel’s embassy in Ireland has said it has not prevented any foreigners from exiting Gaza through the Rafah crossing, amid accusations from opposition politicians in Dublin that it is holding Irish citizens “hostage” in the besieged enclave.
The Israeli embassy in Dublin also accused Hamas of trying to smuggle fighters through the crossing and of preventing foreigners from leaving Gaza.
On Tuesday, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy accused Israel of refusing to allow Irish citizens to leave Gaza in what he said appeared to be retaliation for an Irish vote at the UN. However, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that more than 80 per cent of EU nationals and their dependents had not been able to leave Gaza yet.
Around 40 Irish citizens remain in the Gaza Strip amid ongoing bombardment by Israel triggered by a raid carried out by Hamas which claimed the lives of 1,400 people. The Hamas-run health ministry has said 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then.
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Mr Murphy, whose party has called for the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador to Ireland, said that even with diplomatic links in place “Israel is holding Irish citizens hostage in Gaza” and refusing to allow them and Brazilian passport holders leave “in what very much appears to be retaliation for a vote at the UN”.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said that its understanding is that fewer than 20 per cent of EU citizens and family members in Gaza had been able to leave - although that number was expected to rise on Tuesday as the Rafah crossing was due to open and allow additional EU citizens to depart.
In response to Mr Murphy, the Israeli embassy in Dublin said it is working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish embassy in Israel. “Israel is not preventing any exit from foreigners through the Rafah crossing,” a spokesperson said. “Unfortunately we’ve seen Hamas during the weekend deny the option for foreigners to leave, after trying to smuggle some of its terrorists through the crossing.”
Mr Murphy said that countries whose citizens have been allowed to leave had voted with Israel at the UN or abstained.
Israel’s embassy in Dublin said that lists of names were given to Egypitian authorities. Many foreigners, including Irish citizens, in the Gaza Strip have travelled to the Rafah Crossing with Egypt in the hope of leaving the area. The embassy said the names had also been passed to the relevant state agency.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said there are an estimate 8,000 foreign and dual nationals and immediate dependants in Gaza who are seeking to leave. “The departures are being managed country by country on a phased basis. It will take some time for this process to be completed”.
The names of all Irish citizens in Gaza who have asked to be included on the list of those due to leave have been submitted to the relevant authorities, the Department said. “Our embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv are in regular communication with the authorities in Egypt and Israel in this regard.”
Irish officials are also in communication with those Irish citizens on the ground in Gaza and are updating them directly, the Department said.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin said leader Mary Lou McDonald was “absolutely not” overruled by her party when it took the decision to call for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador on Friday.
As late as Thursday Ms McDonald was responding to criticism by people on social media platform X that Sinn Féin had not called for ambassador Dana Erlich’s expulsion, with the Sinn Féin leader emphasising the party’s call for a ceasefire.
Then on Friday, during a visit to the North, Ms McDonald said Ms Erlich’s position is untenable.
Senior Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin insisted that the change in policy came about due to the “deteriorating” situation in Gaza.
He said more than 10,000 people have been killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which is taking place in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel last month.
Put to him at a press conference at Leinster House that Ms McDonald was defending Sinn Féin’s position on X the day before it called for the ambassador’s expulsion, Mr Ó Broin said the party engages with people online “all the time”.
He said the party had structures for making decisions.
“And while we have the Oireachtas team here and Mary Lou is the leader of the party, we also have Assembly members, we also have an international department. As it happened it was a meeting of all of those people on that day. And they took the decision - and I think it’s the right decision, particularly given the deteriorating situation in Gaza - to move a step further and call for the withdrawal of diplomatic status.”
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He rejected a suggestion that Ms McDonald had been overruled by her party.
Mr Ó Broin also denied that Sinn Féin’s decision was influenced by People Before Profit’s earlier call for the ambassador to be expelled saying: “We make our own assessment. We take our own decisions.”
