Ireland has shown strong and compassionate leadership over the last year by pledging €20 million extra to UNRWA at a time when other key donors were withdrawing their support. I recognise the role that the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach played in swiftly pledging support for UNRWA last year. This funding has allowed the organisation to meet the urgent need of Palestinian refugees in Gaza for healthcare, food aid and emergency shelter. Given Israel's recent ban on and blacklisting of UNRWA and the growing challenges to humanitarian support worldwide, when the Taoiseach meets President Trump in March, will he ask the president to reverse his recent decision to end funding for UNRWA? Doing so would save lives and the Government's intervention here can make a difference.

I thank Deputy O'Gorman and wish him well in his new role over on that side of the House. I am proud of the work we did together in the last Government in terms of supporting UNRWA when other countries, as the Deputy rightly says, withdrew their support. I acknowledge the role that the Taoiseach played in increasing the level of funding that we were providing to UNRWA. As recently as this morning I spoke to officials in the Department of foreign affairs and trade about what more we can do to show, in a very demonstrable way, our commitment to UNRWA at this critical moment. I will not speak for the Taoiseach on this but I have no doubt that when he meets President Trump that he will, of course, raise Ireland's position in relation to all of these issues, including our steadfast support for UNRWA.