157. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the number of buildings that were built or part-funded with the assistance of the Government of Ireland in the State of Palestine that have been destroyed or removed; if he is aware of who has destroyed or stolen those buildings paid for by the Irish tax payer; and the response he has issued to the destruction and theft of this infrastructure. [27713/26]

158. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the value of the infrastructure that has been built with the assistance of the Government of Ireland in the West Bank and Gaza; and the value of the infrastructure that has been destroyed or stolen in the State of Palestine in the past ten years, by year, in tabular form. [27714/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 158 together.

The Government is seriously concerned at the level of damage to civilian infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The current assessment is that the cost of reconstruction in Gaza will be in the region of $70 billion. The situation in the West Bank has also deteriorated sharply, with the expansion of Israeli control in many areas and increased attacks and occupations of Palestinian property by illegal settlers. These Israeli actions clearly contravene international law. Ireland has joined 84 other UN members to jointly condemn recent Israeli Security Cabinet decisions to expand Israeli control over the West Bank, which contravene international law.

Our support for public infrastructure in Palestine is almost exclusively in partnership with other donors. This includes support to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Education, the West Bank Protection Consortium, and core funding to UNRWA. As such, it is not feasible to tabulate all our contributions to specific infrastructure covered by this assistance.

Ireland contributes up to €3 million annually through a joint donor scheme to the Palestinian Authority's Department of Education, providing €26.3 million since 2015. This includes support to school buildings in the West Bank. Reports indicate that 74 schools in the West Bank were damaged in 2025 and 78 schools placed under demolition orders.

The Government has provided €68 million in core funding to UNRWA since 2023, and €127 million since 2015. In January 2026, Israeli forces demolished the UNRWA headquarters compound in East Jerusalem, and 312 of UNRWA's facilities have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza. Ireland made a submission to the ICJ 2025 advisory opinion on Israel’s actions in Gaza, including in relation to UNRWA facilitates.

Ireland supported the Palestinian Water Authority to develop the €45 million North Gaza Emergency Sewage Treatment plant, committing €8 million and providing €6.8 million by 2022. Construction was well advanced by October 2023. Its current condition is not known. The balance of our funding is being used to support emergency water system repairs in Gaza.

Since 2019, Ireland has provided €2.2 million to the West Bank Protection Consortium to support prevention of forced displacement. In 2025, donor-funded infrastructure worth just under €1 million was affected by demolition, confiscation, settler violence, or forced abandonment. The equivalent figure for damage in 2024 was just under €550,000. In February 2026, Ireland and our Consortium partners sought, but have not so far received, compensation of €1.7 million from Israeli authorities in respect of confiscated or demolished assets since 2015.

Ireland also funds micro solar and water systems infrastructure in the West Bank with an overall investment of over €500,000 since 2015. In July 2025, our partner, Comet-ME reported that damage to energy and water components funded by Ireland, as a result of violent settler activity and demolitions, amounted to some €23,000 since October 2023.

The Government will continue to work for an end to demolitions and compensation for damage to infrastructure, and for full respect for International Humanitarian Law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.