People Before Profit TD, Bríd Smith, has accused the Irish Government of abandoning the Gazan families of Palestinian-Irish citizens despite desperate pleas to help get them out of the unimaginable horror they are enduring.
Deputy Smith has written to the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice on at least three occasions pleading with them to help families of Irish citizens who are desperate to get their loved ones out of Gaza. She has also submitted Parliamentary Questions to both Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Minister Helen McEntee asking what can be done to assist these families escape the Israeli bombardment of their country and received replies that appear cold and lacking in any urgent sense of extending refuge and succour to those fleeing for their lives.
Deputy Smith said: “It has come to my attention that many other countries are submitting the names and details of the families of their citizens originally from Palestine with a view to getting them out of Gaza and I want to know why Ireland is not doing the same.
“Countries including USA, Canada, Australia, Norway, France, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, and many others are doing all they can to get families of their frantically worried citizens out of Gaza while I’ve been offered links to visa application sites. All People Before Profit TDs have been contacted by Palestinian-Irish citizens supplying the names and details of their loved ones who they are desperate to get to safety. I have received absolutely nothing from the Government to give them even the slightest bit of hope that they will be helped.
“It seems cold and callous to me to offer a link to a website to terrorised families who have barely enough to eat or drink, let alone access to electricity for Wi-Fi. Some of these families have no access to life-saving medicines on the ground in Gaza. We correctly responded quickly to those seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine, why aren’t we doing the same for those who want to flee Gaza? Also, their family members living here have said they will accommodate them so trying to source housing is not an issue in this case.
“I urge the Government to do better than provide links. This is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, and we must respond accordingly.”