Tánaiste Micheál Martin has rejected the suggestion that Ireland has been slower than most other countries in securing the exit of its citizens from Gaza.
None of the 35 to 40 Irish citizens who were in Gaza at the time of the Hamas attacks on October 7th and the Israeli bombardment of the Strip that followed have yet left through the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
But Mr Martin said that fewer than 30 per cent of the foreign nationals who were in Gaza have succeeded in getting out amid repeated interruptions of access to the Rafah crossing from Gaza.
“If you look at the numbers of those who’ve actually got out, in contrast to the actual numbers who were in Gaza, we’re still at the early stages of getting foreign nationals out generally, never mind the Irish group. There’s quite a number of European countries in a similar situation to ourselves who have had no citizen out at this stage,” he said.
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Speaking in Shanghai on Wednesday, the Tánaiste repeated there was no evidence that Ireland’s condemnation of Israel’s bombardment had influenced or delayed the exit of Irish citizens from Gaza.
“We’re working with the authorities, both the Egyptian authorities and Israeli authorities, with a view to getting our citizens out. There are a lot of moving parts here, there are complexities here. It’s not a simple issue, given the logistics and given the level of conflict that’s there,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said there are an estimated 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,” it said.
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 Irish citizens in Gaza and are updating them directly, the department added.
