Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 600 together.

I thank the Deputy for his questions in relation to medical evacuations from Gaza to Ireland.

I can advise the Deputy that Ireland continues a strong tradition of providing humanitarian assistance including through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Irish Aid humanitarian and development assistance programme, and the HSE Global Health Programme.

In September 2024, a Government decision was made that Ireland would evacuate up to 30 paediatric patients from Gaza (under 17 years of age) and their carers out of Egypt, in response to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) request to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to assist in addressing the Gaza healthcare needs through medical evacuation. To date, 12 paediatric patients, their carers and a further 21 family members have been medically evacuated out of Egypt to Ireland in two medevac operations in December 2024 and May 2025.

On 15 July 2025, the Government amended the scope of the Gaza Medevac Initiative to allow for family members of paediatric patients that are parents, minor siblings or adult dependent siblings of the patient, on grant of visas, permission to enter the State. This decision not only applies to future medical evacuation operations but also to the families already here under the Medevac Initiative who have qualifying family members still in Gaza.

My Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Department of Justice Home Affairs and Migration, Irish Red Cross, the HSE, CHI and international organisations are working closely towards two evacuations out of Gaza via Jordan in the near future:

• a medical evacuation for paediatric patients and their accompanying family members (led by DOH); and
• a civilian evacuation to facilitate family reunification for the paediatric patients and their families that are already in Ireland (led by DFAT).

Medical Evacuation out of Gaza

My Department is working with all relevant Government Departments, agencies and international bodies towards a medical evacuation out of Gaza via Jordan in the near future. This is subject to all permissions and logistics being put in place. Such a medical evacuation is highly complex and many determining factors are subject to challenging and shifting external circumstances.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has the primary role of selecting patients for medical evacuation overseas. In consultation with WHO and other partners, the Ministry for Health in Gaza developed a strict set of criteria for selecting patients to be evacuated.

In addition to the process for patient selection for the WHO-approved lists, each country participating in the UCPM with medical evacuation has its own process for patient selection from the WHO-approved lists. Only paediatric patients are considered for the Irish Gaza Medevac Initiative, as is the case with many other European countries carrying out medical evacuations. Paediatric patients are selected by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) from the WHO medevac approved list, strictly subject to treatment capacity in the HSE and CHI.

Once CHI has confirmed that the selection criteria is met, and offers of medical evacuation are accepted by the patients and their parents or carer, relevant authorities work to secure all required documentation to allow the patient and their family members to be evacuated and plans are drawn up to carry out the complex medical evacuation in cooperation with key organisations on the ground and in Ireland.

Civilian Evacuation to support Family Reunification

I appreciate that those who have been evacuated under the Gaza Medevac initiative are eager for their family members to join them in Ireland. My Department is assisting in preparations for a civilian evacuation from Gaza via Jordan to facilitate family reunification of families who arrived in Ireland via the Medevac Initiative. I can confirm that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is leading on the operational and logistical aspects of such evacuations to secure safe passage from Gaza to Jordan and onward to Ireland. My Department, with the assistance of the Irish Red Cross, is leading on the identification of eligible family members, and on engagement with Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to secure visas and will support family members on their arrival in Ireland.

Visa applications of eligible family members meeting the criteria for the civilian evacuation, including the three children referenced in the Deputy’s query, are currently being processed and the patient families in Ireland are being updated regularly. However, while the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration can grant visas for eligible family members to travel to Ireland, the exit of persons from Gaza is dependent on all necessary documentation being in order and on receiving permission from the relevant local authorities, both in Israel and in certain circumstances, neighbouring jurisdictions. Such permissions are outside the control of the Government of Ireland.