Irish Citizens not among evacuees leaving Gaza for Egypt today

The Rafah border crossing opened yesterday to allow foreign passport holders and dual nationals to flee the sieged Gaza strip.

It was the first time Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing since the Israel-Hamas war began on 7 October. The crossing point will re-open today for foreign passport holders and wounded Palestinians.

Seventy-six wounded Palestinians and 335 foreigners or dual-nationals were allowed to cross from the war-torn Gaza Strip for Egypt yesterday but no Irish citizens were included.

Tánaiste Mícheál Martin said yesterday that he is seeking that the 35 citizens on the Gaza strip be included in evacuation efforts 'as early as possible'.

A spokesperson said the Department is “urgently seeking to have Irish people included in subsequent evacuations”.

Earlier, Martin has said he was shocked by Israel’s strike on Gaza’s largest refugee camp yesterday and said it was unjustifiable in his view.

The Tánaiste shared a statement on the bombing of the Jabalya refugee camp on X last night, saying: "We cannot let this continue. This has to stop."

My statement on the situation in Gaza pic.twitter.com/ZMCH54CLJ9

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 1, 2023

Minister for Trade Promotion Dara Calleary today said the Department of Foreign Affairs is “working incredibly hard” to get Irish passport-holders out of Gaza.

He said the department is in regular contact with each of the people on the list of Irish passport holders they are aware of in the region.

Speaking to RTÉ radio, Calleary said: “I have to reiterate if there’s anybody – or anybody that has connections – in Gaza that haven’t registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs, please register.”

He added: “They’re throwing everything at it. It is a very complex situation. It is only today that people are beginning to get out and I think everything is being done to ensure that we get Irish passport holders out.”

Separately, it’s also been reported by Iran’s Islamic Republican News Agency that an Irish citizen is being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.

These unconfirmed reports have not been backed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, with Calleary telling RTÉ that he “does not have precise information” on this and that he wasn’t able to confirm these reports.

However, he added: “If the Department and Tánaiste are aware of this, I have absolutely no doubt that they are doing their best to get that person released".

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told reporters in South Korea that he hasn’t been briefed on any reports of an Irish citizen being held hostage by Hamas.

Varadkar is in South Korea on a trade mission. Varadkar told RTÉ, "I haven’t been briefed on anything in relation to an Irish citizen being kidnapped by Hamas.”