Paul Murphy demands practical help for Gaza refugees

It is a very simple question, Minister. We have all seen the horror of the genocide in Gaza over the past two years. Despite the so-called ceasefire, it continues, there was an attack on an apartment block last night, children being murdered again by Israel. But obviously we have all been contacted by people who have connections to Ireland in various ways, who are looking to get out of Gaza, who are looking to become refugees, to resettle in Ireland. It has been very, very difficult to help those people. We have gotten sympathetic responses from the Minister, from the various people we write to, but very little in terms of practical help. It is a horrific situation in terms of what is happening in Gaza. I want you to know that my department continues to work closely with Foreign Affairs to ensure a coordinated national response to the situation. This includes working with Irish citizens and their families who may require visa assistance. There has been many visas granted to individuals coming from Gaza to come into Ireland. In common with the position for all non-EU nationals, entry of Palestinian nationals is undertaken through the existing legal immigration pathways available. Palestinian nationals are visa-required and must have a valid Irish visa before they seek to enter Ireland. Many nationals can apply for visa and for permission to remain in Ireland based on a variety of different reasons, including employment, education or to join a family member in the state. That information is available on my department's website. It is also important to know that visa applications are part of a screening process that is designed to establish that the person has a legitimate reason to come to Ireland prior to travel and all such applications undergo this process. Separately, there is also the process of applying for visa applications since October 2023. I understand that the total number is 1,790, of which 1,068 have been granted. So there are visas being granted in respect of Palestinians who seek to come to Ireland and obviously individuals who come to Ireland and claim international protection having been emanated in Palestine. They also will have their applications considered. But it is, I suppose, an international crisis in terms of trying to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza. It is particularly difficult to get out of there. But Ireland has played its part in terms of assisting people who want to leave, whether it is through immigration visas or whether if somebody can make an application for international protection, obviously that will be considered here as well. Thank you. Thanks. I mean, when Putin invaded Ukraine, the Irish government was very, very clear in terms of welcoming Ukrainians who were fleeing a brutal invasion and war. The Palestinian people for two years, for longer in reality, but for two years have been facing absolute horror and they continue to face it. The issue really is, like, it is fine to say, look, it is all up there on the website, but you know and I know that many of these cases are quite complex. We are writing to you and then we are being told that, for example, guidance cannot be provided on visa applications that have not yet been submitted. But in many cases what these people need is assistance to say, OK, this is the best application that you should really be able to make. We need practical guidance on how to advise people of their visa options, advice knowledge that we do not really have. Ideally, we would have a contact point, a dedicated contact point, to assist with some of the more challenging cases to come to us so that people can make whatever application they need to make. There is a significant difference between Gaza and Ukraine. They cannot leave Gaza, they cannot leave Ukraine, and obviously the European Union decided that that temporary protection directive would be commenced in respect of individuals emanating from Ukraine. I suppose we also want to be careful, we do not want to facilitate an Israeli policy of seeking to compulsorily move people out of Palestinian territory as well. But the statistics, I think, confirm that a lot has been done, because if you look at the total number of visa applications received from Palestinian nationals since October 2023, so we are talking about in the past two years, we have granted over 1,000 visas and 1,700, as I say, have applied. So a lot of visas are being granted to individuals who apply for visas from Palestine. It probably does maybe require a broader international response in terms of a humanitarian response. I know there was a broader European response in terms of Syria and Afghanistan, but there are very particular issues arising in terms of Israeli policy and precluding people from leaving Gaza. That is something that I suppose has an impact on policy developed by European countries. I accept that entirely in terms of Israel's role here. I think the Jordanian authorities have also presented an obstacle to this. But I have met with many Palestinians who are here, for example, who have family members, be it brothers and sisters or whatever, who are stuck in Gaza in this absolute horror. Agreed, we do not want to facilitate the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. But we also do not want to say no to people who want to come and, for example, join their families here. The question really is, these people who come to us, I am sure you have heard many awful, awful stories, people who have lost so many members of their families, they are trying to get out, they are trying to join their families that are here. What should we tell them? At the moment we write to, we do PQs to you, we write to the INIS, and we just get boilerplate answers that do not really facilitate them. Can we not be providing more practical assistance to them, in terms of a point of contact that we could have with your department, in order to be able to give more assistance to people in those sort of circumstances? The officials in my department do give a very sympathetic response and an efficient response as well. Obviously the numbers of applications for visas to come here are very significant and it takes a long time to process them. I do not know whether it is the case that priority is given to applicants from certain countries, but the best way of dealing with it, I would have thought, is to ensure that we improve and increase efficiency, which I suppose is something that can always be done. In terms of what else is happening here, the Irish Red Cross has offered to assist families here in Ireland to apply for entry visas for their family members still in Gaza, and applications from eligible family members will be processed swiftly, that is what my officials say to me. I understand that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish embassies and consulates are limited in providing assistance to non-Irish citizens, but they are actively exploring options for the provision of assistance to individuals in Gaza who wish to travel to Ireland. You will also be aware that we did a lot in terms of the Medivac scheme. In September 2024 the Government approved Ireland's participation initiative to evacuate up to 36 children from Gaza, and so far 19 paediatric patients and their families have arrived, and members of their families have arrived.