Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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109. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he considers recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon to be a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40859/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am deeply concerned about the surge of violence in Lebanon in recent days, including continuing Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel, Israel's massive aerial bombardments and ground incursions across the Blue Line by the Israeli Defence Forces. This is a dangerous escalation.

In a recent statement I underlined that the recent breaches of the Blue Line are in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. A key component of the resolution is that there will be no foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its Government. Any incursion by the armed forces of one country into the territory of another without its consent or other legal justification is a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and may amount to an unlawful use of force contrary to the UN Charter.

International law limits the use of force in self-defence to no more than is necessary and proportionate to repel an attack or recover territory. Such limits apply in respect of Israel’s military actions as a whole, and not just its ground operations. I am very concerned at the scale of the Israeli military activities in Lebanon and the impacts on civilians and civilian property and infrastructure. I call on Hezbollah and Israel to comply with Resolution 1701 by ceasing hostilities and working towards a peaceful solution to the conflict. I also call on both parties to ensure full respect for international humanitarian law, including the protections applicable to peacekeepers.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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110. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the case of a person (details supplied) who has been granted leave to come to Ireland from Gaza but cannot escape Gaza; and the actions he taken to ensure their safe passage here. [40863/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I want to thank the Deputy for his question regarding the Palestinian family member of an Irish citizen who has been granted a visa to travel to Ireland but who has not yet been able to exit Gaza in order to do so. I want to assure the Deputy that my Department is aware of this case and has been providing assistance to the family since late last year. I want to recognise that this is an extremely challenging and distressing situation for this family.

Since the onset of this crisis, my Department has worked with the relevant authorities to facilitate the exit from Gaza of Irish citizens and dependants that have expressed a wish to leave.

Clearance to exit Gaza has been subject to the approval of the relevant local authorities. This process has involved our Embassies in Tel Aviv and Cairo submitting the names of those Irish citizens and dependants who wished to leave Gaza to the relevant authorities. These lists have updated and resubmitted on an ongoing basis. Once clearance is received, our Embassy in Cairo liaise with the Egyptian authorities to receive Irish citizens and dependants on the Egyptian side, and to support their onward journey to Ireland. To date, we have assisted over 100 individuals to exit Gaza.

Some Irish citizens and dependants, including the individual concerned, have received clearance to exit Gaza, but, due to the situation on the ground have not been able to exit. The Israeli military operation in Rafah, which began in May, has resulted in the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt being closed. Since its closure, departure of civilians from Gaza has not been possible. It is now almost five months since any civilians have been allowed to depart.

I wish to assure you that officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs, through our Embassies in the region, continue to advocate consistently with the local authorities to enable all Irish citizens and dependents remaining in Gaza who wish to depart, to do so. I confirm that this includes this individual.

I along with my Government colleagues undertook intensive engagements at the UN in New York during the recent UN General Assembly on the situation in the Middle East. The urgent need to address the conflict in the Middle East is a priority, including efforts to advance the two State solution, achieve a ceasefire and hostage release deal, and to ensure the supply of humanitarian assistance at scale in Gaza.