Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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68.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to detail funding and resources provided by Ireland to organisations for the maintenance and establishment of field hospitals in Gaza; whether his department has been approached in regards to providing support for the establishment of a field hospital in Al Mawasi; and to detail what support the state can provide to medical professionals in Gaza seeking international assistance for the establishment and running of a field hospital. [25512/24]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Government's response to the crisis in Gaza has included significant humanitarian funding and the provision of in-kind assistance. We have provided €40 million in humanitarian assistance since last October. This includes €20 million provided in February for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) the main agency unpinning all humanitarian efforts in Gaza, and direct funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for their response on the ground.

I share the serious concern at the near collapse of the health system in Gaza in recent months. I commend the strong role being played by WHO staff, who have been at the forefront of the international humanitarian response. Since the onset of the conflict in Gaza, 31 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex. Other hospitals are operating under severe limitations. Since October 2023, the WHO has recorded a total of 890 attacks on health facilities in the Occupied Territory, 443 in Gaza, and 447 in the West Bank.

No specific request has been received by this Department for the establishment or support of field hospitals. We condemn all attacks on health infrastructure. Healthcare facilities are protected under International Law and must be allowed to operate efficiently and in safety. This is a fundamental principle, which applies to all sides in the conflict. We continue to call for all parties to conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and for full, safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid for the civilian populations.

Ireland is also using our partnership with the UN Humanitarian Response Depot to deliver aid supplies to Gaza. Under Ireland’s Rapid Response Initiative, family tents and tarpaulins from Irish stocks worth approximately €250,000 were distributed in Rafah in December. An additional consignment worth approximately €300,000 arrived in Gaza in recent days and is currently being distributed.

For medical professionals seeking to assist in Gaza it should be noted that operating in highly challenging environments demands unique expertise. For these reasons, all major organisations responding to a health emergency now provide rigorous pre-deployment training for volunteers, and usually maintain rosters of trained individuals. For those able to volunteer their services the most direct approach is to offer their services to existing organisations which have the necessary support structures and training programmes in place. These organisations would include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Health Organisation or one of the humanitarian agencies already operational in the region.

Ultimately the situation in Gaza can only be resolved by an end to the conflict and the establishment of a credible political process. We welcome and give our full support to the comprehensive ceasefire proposals set out by President Biden. We urge Israel and Hamas to accept and fulfil the three-phase proposal. It is vital that all parties work towards reviving a political process that can provide a lasting and sustainable peace, based on the two-State solution.