Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. One of the appalling features of the war on Gaza has been the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent children. The serial killing of children as a result of indiscriminate bombing, attacks and shootings has shocked the world. The scale of injuries suffered by so many children is truly appalling.

As a country, we have a strong tradition of providing humanitarian assistance. In September last year, following an appeal from the World Health Organization, the Government approved our participation in an initiative to evacuate a number of sick children from Gaza for treatment and care in Ireland. Four flights were agreed. Two have been successfully carried out. Approximately 12 children in total have arrived safely so far to receive medical treatment facilitated through those two evacuations, one in December last year and another in May this year. The children were accompanied by 12 mother-carers and 21 accompanying family members, so approximately 45 people, between adults and children, were facilitated. Ensuring the appropriate supports are in place to facilitate paediatric patients and their families is obviously key to the success of the overall operation. Planning is ongoing for the next medical evacuation operation.

There is no delay. Nothing has been stopped. There is no bureaucratic wrangling. This is not subject to any Government memo. A Government memo will emerge that will, in many respects, adopt an even more generous response in terms of the number of family members, or siblings of an injured child, who can come. The presentation of a memo is not material to the next flight. It will regularise what has been happening already. The original Government decision allowed for one child and one person but, in practice, we have actually been doing much more than that. The amendment in the next memo the Minister will bring will regularise all that. It is as simple as that. It is not stopping anything. No one is saying the next flight cannot happen. There are obviously huge logistical issues in getting children out of Gaza. The WHO, medevac and others are working with us in co-ordinating that. There have been no delays in the processing of Irish-entry visas in this regard. No current applications under this scheme are awaiting processing. The Minister is here and can confirm all of that.

I would respectfully say that before making allegations and assertions, we should get the facts rights. As far as I am concerned, we will do everything we can to honour and fulfil what we have committed to, and do what we can to help children who desperately need treatment, care and wider supports because of the extraordinary trauma that has been visited on so many of them as a result of a horrific war that has no moral justification whatsoever any more in its assault on children. We want all the hostages released and an end to the war in Gaza. As a country, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the West Bank and the various agencies that support Palestinians in Jordan and Lebanon.

We work with Jordan on a continuing basis wherever the children are. There is no issue for us in terms of the particular border crossing, the mechanism or the route out of Gaza. That is not an issue for us at all.

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