First Irish citizens to escape from Gaza conflict cross into Egypt

The first Irish citizens to escape from Gaza since war erupted there a month ago crossed into Egypt on Wednesday amid hopes that more will be able to follow in the coming days.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who travelled to Egypt as part of intense diplomatic efforts and will visit Israel and Palestine on Thursday, confirmed that 23 Irish citizens and their dependents exited Gaza on Wednesday and were received at the Rafah crossing by a team from the embassy in Cairo.

With transfers from Palestinian territory into Egypt said to be taking as long as 10 hours, the Irish nationals included family groups with children, though some on the list to exit Gaza on Wednesday could not do so.

“People who were not in a position today to make it might be in a position tomorrow but it’s very fluid,” Martin said.

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“Our initial response is they are in good form ... We’ll have buses ready and so forth and transport ready to take them to Cairo and we’ll do a further evaluation there if anybody requires any health services we can make those available here.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs added: “They are being provided with consular assistance and support, including with onward travel to Ireland.”

One Irish citizen who escaped with his family from Gaza said he was “very good” but “exhausted”.

Ibrahim Alagha, an electronics engineer living in Blanchardstown, and his family were in Gaza City for an extended holiday to visit relatives when Israel began its bombardment following the October 7th attacks.

Mr Alagha told The Irish Times just before 6pm Irish time (8pm Egypt time) on Wednesday that he and his family had crossed into Egypt and were boarding a bus to Cairo. “I’m very good,” he said. “I just made it to Egypt now. I am exhausted. I can barely talk.”

But more Irish nationals and dependents are still trapped in Gaza, possibly another 17, officials estimate. Intense diplomatic efforts on their behalf continue, in addition to efforts to ascertain the whereabouts and health of eight-year-old Irish girl Emily Hand, who is presumed kidnapped by Hamas.

“Those who have Emily and other hostages in captivity are keeping a very tight security zone around them,” Mr Martin said. “They’re not revealing any details as to locations or anything like that.

“We haven’t got any confirmation as to her precise location, whereabouts or, indeed, we haven’t had any definitive proof of life confirmation yet.”

Mr Martin travels onwards to Tel Aviv today. In addition to talks on Thursday with Israeli officials he will go to Ramallah in West Bank to meet Palestinian Authority representatives.

The news from Gaza came after a day of sharp divisions on the conflict in the Dáil, where Opposition parties were again fiercely critical of Israel and of the Government’s refusal to expel the Israeli ambassador and refer Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Last night, Opposition motions calling for the withdrawal of the diplomatic status of the Israeli ambassador and for the Government to refer the Israeli attacks in Gaza to the ICC for investigation were comfortably defeated in the Dáil.

Counter motions put forward by the Government passed comfortably and included strong condemnations of the attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians on October 7th. The countermotion also “deplores the escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory since then” and expressed “deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza.

The Government’s counter motion to Sinn Féin’s motion calling for Ireland to refer Israel for its actions in Gaza to the ICC passed by 80 votes to 60.

The Government’s other counter motion to the Social Democrats’ motion calling for the withdrawal of the diplomatic status of the Israeli ambassador in Ireland passed by 85 votes to 55.