Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A small number of Irish citizens remain in Gaza. Ireland will continue to work tirelessly with the relevant authorities on additional cases where these arise and to assist in instances where other Irish citizens and dependants wish to exit Gaza. These relevant authorities include Israel, which has a huge say in terms of who leaves Gaza right now, whether you like it or not. Getting rid of diplomatic channels would not in any way have helped to get Irish citizens out of Gaza or, indeed, their dependants. The assistance provided to Irish citizens in Gaza is a practical demonstration of the value of diplomacy in highly challenging circumstances. I take this opportunity to commend our dedicated teams in Dublin and on the ground in Egypt, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territory. They have been doing extraordinary work since the beginning of the crisis, and I think it is important for all Deputies in this House to recognise that.

I attended the European Union Foreign Affairs Council on Monday and I took that opportunity to report on my visit to the region. Many interventions at the council echoed points that I had made several weeks ago, earlier in this conflict. Our perspective is influential at a European level. There is a growing realisation among member states that the EU needs to do much more to deliver a two-state solution to ensure peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Last week, I visited Egypt, Israel and the West Bank. Deputy Murphy omitted to mention my visit to Egypt and my visit to the West Bank-----

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