Irish citizens Ibrahim and Hamida Alagha and their three Irish-born children Sami, Eileen, and Omar have learned that they are on the list to exit Gaza via the Rafah Crossing on Wednesday, November 15.
More Irish citizens might also have an opportunity to leave Gaza in the next 24 hours, the Irish Times reported on Tuesday evening.
According to RTÉ News, around 35-40 Irish citizens and their dependents have been trapped in the territory since the conflict escalated in recent weeks.
The news that the Alagha family would be leaving was announced late on Tuesday by Richard Chambers of Virgin Media News in Ireland, who has been in contact with Ibrahim and his family in recent weeks.
The Alagha family traveled to Gaza in June for an extended holiday to visit relatives. Ibrahim, a native of Gaza who has been an Irish citizen for 15 years, and his wife Hamida wanted their three Irish-born children to get to know their Palestinian relatives and learn about the language and culture, the BBC reported in October.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ibrahim shared a video with Irish media outlets saying that Wednesday could be his and his family's last chance to exit Gaza before Thursday's communication cut-off in the region.
Virgin Media News said on Tuesday night that the Alagha family is looking forward to returning to Dublin while Ibrahim "thanked the people of Ireland for their words of support and prayers."
Speaking to Virgin Media News this evening, Mr Alagha thanked the people of Ireland for their words of support and prayers.
All are looking forward to returning to Dublin.
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) November 14, 2023
The Irish Examiner reported on Tuesday that there are an estimated 8,000 foreign and dual-nationals, as well as immediate dependents, in Gaza seeking to leave via the Rafah Crossing into Egypt.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said on RTÉ's News at One on Tuesday that the situation in Gaza is deteriorating rapidly and that the Irish government is continuing to push for a humanitarian ceasefire.
When asked if Israel is "refusing to let the Irish out," Varadkar said: “I met the Israeli ambassador yesterday [Monday] about this. She told me that’s not the case.
"We’re continuing to seek permission for Irish citizens, Irish-Palestinian dual nationals, to leave from Gaza.
“I'm very conscious that we have citizens in Gaza, I’m very conscious that there's a young Irish girl, nine years old this week, Emily Hand who's being held by Hamas as a hostage in Gaza. Let's not forget her.
"Very conscious that we have 400 Irish troops on the Israeli border in Golan in southern Lebanon; their safety is paramount to me.
"In everything we do and say, we're bearing all those things very much in mind, but when it comes to enabling our citizens to leave, we're engaging with Israel on that, also the Egyptians who have a role in controlling the crossing at Rafah.
"We've been talking to the Jordanians and the Qataris too, so there's nothing we're not doing to try and enable our citizens to leave.
"But when it comes to calling for a humanitarian ceasefire, we're not going to change our position on that. We're calling for it for the right reasons and I think people understand, and I think Irish people support the government on that."
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheal Martin announced on Monday that he is due to travel to Egypt, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territory this week.
“The situation in the region is at a critical point," the Tánaiste said on Monday, "with a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and continued risks of regional escalation."
While scheduled to meet leaders in each of the three areas, the Tánaiste said he also plans to raise the issue of Irish-Israeli hostage Emily Hand, 8. He met with her father, Thomas Hand, in Dublin on Tuesday.
Also on Wednesday, the Social Democrats will bring a motion before the Dáil calling on the government to withdraw diplomatic status from the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland and push for the imposition of EU-wide economic sanctions on Israel.
Sinn Féin will also bring a motion to the Dáil this week, calling upon the Irish government to refer the Israeli attacks in Gaza to the International Criminal Court for investigation.
The Taoiseach has said that the Irish government does not intend to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland.
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