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

I pay tribute to the embassy in Tel Aviv and our ambassadors in Israel, Egypt and Ramallah and the teams that work with them for the efforts they have made in challenging circumstances, and to the headquarters team in Dublin that coordinates all our efforts to get civilians out. They are in contact at least once a day with Irish citizens who wish to depart. The Department has facilitated the issuing of emergency travel documents to assist departures and engages with the Department of Justice on visas to support dependants who wish to travel to Ireland.

We are aware of three citizens in Gaza who do not wish to receive consular assistance while a fourth was confirmed to have died in Gaza following an air strike on 23 October. He had not previously been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

I have had direct engagement with the Israeli authorities. I have given my response publicly to the response of the Israeli foreign minister, Eli Cohen, in respect of the Taoiseach’s tweet and statement. We were surprised by that, but the Irish ambassador in Israel gave a clear and comprehensive account in a competent manner.

See this speech in context