Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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46. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a person who has been accepted on an academic course in Ireland will be evacuated from Gaza (details supplied) given the circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45838/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I was delighted to announce the arrival in Ireland of 52 Palestinians following an operation to support their departure from Gaza on 27 August. I am pleased to confirm that the individual referred to by the Deputy was among those supported to come to Ireland.

My officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including diplomats in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Turkey, have worked closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that this group could make their journey. Such operations are extraordinarily complex and require close cooperation, and weeks and months of detailed planning across multiple organisations. 

Since the beginning of the crisis in Gaza, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has supported more than 200 people to leave Gaza and travel to Ireland. As exit from Gaza is dependent on receipt of permission from the relevant local authorities, both in Israel and neighbouring jurisdictions, such assistance often rests outside the control of the Government of Ireland.

I welcome the arrival of these Palestinian young people to Ireland, and wish them every success with their studies here.