Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Yes, is the short and blunt answer. The Deputy has probably heard in recent days that there are now plans for a reconstruction conference on Gaza. This is likely to be in Cairo next month. We need to see where the invitations go but Ireland will certainly be represented there at a senior level. There will be an opportunity for Ireland, along with other international partners, to see what more we can do. The Deputy is entirely correct that the immediate focus is flooding Gaza with humanitarian aid. In a practical sense that meant 750 tents from Ireland being sent to Gaza. When we spoke to Tom Fletcher today that was a specific reference to a practical support from the Irish people last week. It is a question of how we get into that space of working in, as the Deputy says, an area that we are usually pretty good in and where we have a good track record. Yesterday, at the Foreign Affairs Council I raised the issue of UNRWA. We also discussed it today with the UN representative. I was very pleased that at the European Union level yesterday, talking about the primacy of the UN agencies in terms of humanitarian aid was a clear focus. The alternative that was put in place was a real disaster.

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