Children from Gaza arrive in Ireland for medical care

A group of Palestinian children have arrived in Dublin to receive medical treatment in Ireland.

The eight children were evacuated from Gaza, accompanied by eight carers and 11 siblings.

Government approval to respond to an appeal on behalf of children in the region from the World Heath Organisation was secured in September.

Ireland is expected to receive up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza.

The first arrivals under the scheme will travel to a hospital for a full medical assessment before being settled into accommodation provided by the Irish Red Cross, the Irish Department for Health has said.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly offered "sincere thanks" to everyone involved in the operation.

"There is no justification for the deliberate attacks on civilians and healthcare services in Gaza and the loss of life has been devastating," he said.

"I'm pleased that Ireland is playing a part in treating children whose lives have been devastated by this needless war and I wish these children well in their time ahead here in Ireland."

The group travelled on a plane provided by the Slovakian government.

They were welcomed to Dublin by Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Sean Fleming, Palestinian ambassador to Ireland Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid and Slovakian ambassador Andrej Drobathe.

The children have arrived in Ireland via Egypt, which has accepted more than 2,300 medevac patients since the start of the Israel-Gaza war.

Ciaran Browne, from Ireland's Health Care Executive, said that it had been a "complex and dynamic operation".

"We have been working with our specialist paediatric doctors and nurses in Children's Health Ireland to plan their treatment and ongoing medical care and hope they can make a fast recovery," he added.

Niall O'Keeffe, from the Irish Red Cross, said the charity was "focused on meeting the practical needs of the children and their families, including accommodation and transport to hospital appointments".

"We also have a dedicated team of case workers and social workers who will help them to navigate and access any additional supports they may need."

Israeli forces launched a military offensive in Gaza in response to a Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 45,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the medical evacuation was "part of [Ireland's] consistent support for the people of Palestine".

He said: "I am conscious that many other critically-ill patients remain in Gaza, and their requests for medical evacuation are being delayed or denied by Israeli authorities.

"This denial of medical care is unacceptable and must stop."

On Sunday, Israel's foreign minister announced the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin, over "the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government".

Gideon Saar later branded Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris as "antisemitic".

A spokesperson for the taoiseach said on Monday evening that Harris "will not be responding to personalised and false attacks".