Ministers not told of any Irish citizens leaving by Rafah crossing, Martin says
There are approximately 35 Irish passport holders in Gaza.
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Your support makes all the difference.Ireland’s deputy premier Micheal Martin said the Government has not been notified that any Irish passport holders were on the list of people allowed to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt on Wednesday.
Speaking to RTE radio, Mr Martin said there are approximately 35 Irish passport holders in Gaza.
“We have been in contact since the beginning with the Egyptian authorities, with the Israeli authorities, and we supplied all of the names that we have to the authorities – so they’re on a list.”
He added: “Obviously, communications over the last 48 hours in particular became much more difficult with internet and all communication cut off as the Israeli army began its incursion into Gaza and bombing again, so that has made things challenging.
“But we have not been notified of anyone being on the list today.
Diplomacy gives you that essential communication link to engage and endeavour to moderate situations
“We’re obviously now – and had been – engaged with the authorities again today with a view to getting our citizens on the list as early as possible and getting them out of Gaza through the Rafah crossing.”
Mr Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs, said he had stressed the need “to get our citizens out” with the Egyptian foreign minister.
He said evacuations from Gaza are “sporadic”.
“Even last evening it would have been very late in the day that there was any notification that it would open today in terms of both citizens and the severely injured leaving – so it’s a very, very fluid situation.”
Asked if partners, relatives and dependents could leave Gaza in the company of an Irish passport holder, Mr Martin said: “That is a problem right now and the indications back to us is that it’s passport holders and citizens only.
“However, we are making the case to the authorities and will continue to make the case to the authorities in respect of dependents.”
Mr Martin said the Irish Government had consistently called for a “humanitarian pause” to allow people to leave Gaza and for humanitarian aid to enter the region.
Asked if it was time to expel Israeli diplomats from Ireland, Mr Martin said he did not “believe in” cutting off diplomatic links with other countries.
We now urgently need a humanitarian ceasefire and a significant scaling up of humanitarian access to get vital supplies to civilians
“Diplomacy gives you that essential communication link to engage and endeavour to moderate situations.”
In a statement, Mr Martin also said he was shocked by the Israeli bombing of the Jabalya refugee camp.
He said: “Ireland has made clear on many occasions that Israel’s right to defend itself must be within the parameters of international humanitarian law.
“This means that the principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality and precaution must be upheld in the conduct of hostilities and that civilians must be protected.
“UN secretary general Guterres has been clear that international humanitarian law cannot be applied selectively. The law of war always applies.
“UNRWA said yesterday that more children have been killed in Gaza since October 7 than have been killed in all conflicts globally since 2019. We cannot allow this to continue.
“This has to stop.
“With the unfolding tragedy in Gaza, the European Union has been calling since last week for humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs.
“We now urgently need a humanitarian ceasefire and a significant scaling up of humanitarian access to get vital supplies to civilians. We cannot wait any longer.”