More than 20 Irish citizens have left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said arrangements are in place for staff from the Irish embassy in Cairo to provide consular assistance to them, including travel back to Ireland.
Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Varadkar said: “We expect additional Irish citizens and dependents in Gaza to be on the list in the coming days and we’re working tirelessly to ensure that all of those who wish to do so will be allowed to leave as soon as possible.”
Some 23 Irish citizens had crossed the border by mid-afternoon.
Around 35 to 40 Irish passport holders were understood to be in the enclave prior to Wednesday’s crossings.
The Taoiseach was responding to a call from Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald for Ireland to refer Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
During Leaders’ Questions, Ms McDonald said a civilian refugee population in Gaza is being “slaughtered en masse by one of the most ferocious military forces on Earth”.
She said: “A child killed every 10 minutes in full sight of the world. Gaza – a graveyard for innocent children. Israel’s bombardment has destroyed Gaza’s health infrastructure.
“Hospitals are running out of fuel and electricity needed to power vital equipment – maternity, cancer care, all care decimated as the wounded and dying in hospitals trying to keep going to the sound of gunfire, tank fire, and air raids.”
She added: “The Irish Government must refer Israel to the International Criminal Court. Israel must be held accountable. There must be immediate ceasefires, this is the only thing that will transform this horrific situation.”
Mr Varadkar said he agreed with the call for a ceasefire but said it would be important for “all sides” to honour one.
He said the proposal to refer Israel to the ICC is “flawed” as an investigation, which will include events since Hamas’s attack on October 7th, has been in progress since 2021 and dates back to 2014.
Mr Varadkar said: “Referring Israel to the International Criminal Court at this stage where the investigation is already underway would be akin to reporting an alleged crime to the gardai (Irish police) several years into an investigation.
“It simply would have no practical effect or practical value. Also your proposal is flawed because your proposal is to refer Israel to the International Criminal Court and not the situation on the ground and that allows Hamas and Islamic Jihad off the hook.
“Perhaps that’s your intention, perhaps an omission – but it is not the correct approach.”
Mr Varadkar’s comments were met with audible objection in the Oireachtas chamber.
The Taoiseach said Ireland will instead give an extra €3 million to the ICC.
He added: “For far too long, European countries and the European Union have been willing to aid the Palestinians and trade with the Israelis without pressing either side to do what they need to do.
“When this phase of the conflict’s over we need a more active approach of the European Union pushing for a two-state solution, saying to the Palestinians that we’re not going to continue to give you aid if you don’t respect democracy and human rights and crackdown on terrorism, and saying to the Israelis that we’re not willing to continue to trade with you in the way that we do if you’re not willing to be serious about a two-state solution and allowing the Palestinians the right to the state that they need and they deserve.”
Ms McDonald said Mr Varadkar was “disingenuous” on the matter of the ICC.
She said: “Israel doesn’t care about international law. Why? Because Israel is never, ever, ever held to account.”
She said there has “correctly” been multiple complaints to the ICC following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
She said: “Why is Israel different? Why is it that the international community cannot state the truth that the world has seen within its own eyes as Palestinians are massacred? Why is it that Israel cannot be held to account?”
Mr Varadkar replied: “This is not the same as Ukraine and an investigation is already underway in relation to potential war crimes.”
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin is in Egypt ahead of planned trips to Israel and the Occupied Territories.
“I’m very pleased that a number of our Irish citizens are on the list today, Wednesday, to come through the crossing at Rafah,” he told RTÉ.
He said the Government will work on getting remaining Irish citizens through the crossing but said it is a “fluid situation”.
“I can’t give you precise numbers but it is good news that quite a number of Irish citizens are on that list,” he said.
Mr Martin’s visit also has a focus on trying to secure the release of Israeli-Irish girl Emily Hand, eight, who is feared to be a Hamas hostage in Gaza.
He is due to hold talks with his Egyptian counterpart on the issue during his visit to Cairo.
“I’m very focused on that particular issue. As an Irish eight-year-old citizen I think it’s imperative that she’s released, and indeed all the hostages, and particularly the children who have been abducted,” Mr Martin said.
Emily’s Dublin-born father Tom and her half-sister Natali have been in Ireland this week along with relatives of other hostages to raise awareness of the situation and ask for Irish support to secure their release.
They had a meeting with Mr Martin in Dublin and also met Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President Michael D Higgins.
