A group of Palestinian children arrived in Dublin on Friday to receive medical treatment in Ireland.
The eight children were evacuated from Gaza, accompanied by eight carers and 11 siblings.
The Irish government responded to an appeal on behalf of children in the region from the World Heath Organisation which was launched in September.
Ireland is expected to receive up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza.
The Irish Red Cross, the Irish Department for Health said that the first arrivals under the scheme will travel to a hospital for a full medical assessment before being settled into accommodation.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly offered ‘sincere thanks’ to everyone involved in the operation.
Donnelly said in a statement: ‘There is no justification for the deliberate attacks on civilians and healthcare services in Gaza and the loss of life has been devastating.
‘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’.
He added: ‘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.’
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’.
He continued: ‘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 continued: ‘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.’
Earlier this month, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar announced the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin, over ‘the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government’.
Saar later branded Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris as ‘antisemitic’.
A spokesperson for the taoiseach said at the time that Harris ‘will not be responding to personalised and false attacks’.
Meanwhile, Chilean President Gabriel Boric during an annual Christmas event organised by the Palestinian community in Chile has described Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a ‘war criminal,’ reiterating his call for an immediate end to the Tel Aviv regime’s bloody military campaign against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Boric stated: ‘At this time of year, as we celebrate Christmas, which symbolises hope and humanity, we must move and think about the Palestinian people suffering in Gaza.’
Boric stressed that the actions of Netanyahu’s administration in Gaza constitute ‘crimes against humanity’ that should not be ignored.
He noted that he had raised the issue of double standards as regards human rights during his participation in the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last month.
The Chilean leader added: ‘It is difficult to talk about human rights while turning a blind eye to the genocide taking place in Gaza. Defending humanity does not tolerate half-measures.’
Boric called on the international community to take concrete steps to stop the ongoing ‘massacre’ in Gaza, adding that ‘Christmas should be an occasion for reflection and action for peace, not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank.’
This is not the first time that the Chilean president has slammed Israeli war crimes in Palestine. In June, Boric called Netanyahu a war criminal during the Ukraine Peace Summit held in Switzerland.
In September, Chile joined South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel is accused of committing genocide in Gaza.
620 Chilean lawyers filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March regarding the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Netanyahu, former Israeli minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, and demanded their precautionary detention.
Israel’s military has systematically blocked the entry of lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents into the besieged Palestinian territory since October 2023.
- A baby has died inside a tent due to the severe cold in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
Medical sources stated that the baby passed away early last Friday due to the extreme cold inside a tent in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
Approximately 2 million displaced people, out of 2.4 million in Gaza, are living in extremely difficult humanitarian conditions due to severe shortages of basic life necessities, water, and food supplies. The suffering of the displaced, especially those residing in tattered tents made of fabric or nylon and in shelters, is exacerbated by the weather conditions affecting Gaza.
They are unable to keep their children warm due to a lack of supplies, while heavy rains flood many of their tents.
As the second winter since the onset of the Israeli genocide against Gaza approaches, the displaced face a harsh winter in dilapidated tents, lacking even the most basic human necessities to shield them from rain and cold.
They struggle to prevent their tents from being swept away by rainwater or strong winds.