37. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the diplomatic pathways and evacuation assistance currently available to Palestinian students who have secured academic places in Irish higher education institutions for the upcoming academic year; if her Department is coordinating with international partners or UK evacuation schemes to assist these students in exiting the region safely; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54848/26]

The crisis in Palestine remains a central priority for the Government and my Department continues to press for immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access in Gaza, advocate for progress in the peace process, and stress our deep concern at the deteriorating situation in the West Bank.

As I am sure you are aware, since the start of the Gaza crisis, my Department has facilitated nearly 400 people to exit Gaza and travel to Ireland. This includes university students taking up studies in Ireland’s Higher Education Institutions, some of whom are recipients of the Ireland-Palestine Scholarship Programme and of Government of Ireland Awards.

Where appropriate, my Department has worked with relevant international partners to support the success of these operations. This includes working with the UN and International NGOs, and through EU cooperation and coordination mechanisms. My Department also coordinates directly with Irish HEIs, the Irish Council for International Students, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and the Higher Education Authority to facilitate the travel of eligible students to Ireland from Gaza.

However, as I am sure you can understand, my Department is limited in the assistance that it can provide to non-Irish citizens seeking to travel from Palestine to Ireland, particularly when this travel is from Gaza.

Any individual seeking assistance to leave Gaza must first be in possession of a valid visa or permission to travel to Ireland. While our Embassy in Tel Aviv can facilitate the submission of applications from Gaza electronically, applicants, including students, must satisfy visa criteria. Visa Policy is a matter for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, which will review applications in accordance with Irish legislation.

As you will be aware, operations for assisted departure from Gaza to Ireland are very complex, and take place in a challenging security environment. These operations require the involvement of Ireland’s regional embassy network, coordination with external partners, and multiple permissions from the relevant local authorities. While my Department makes requests for all the necessary permissions for those eligible to travel, the decisions to grant or deny such requests are outside the control of the Government of Ireland.

I assure you that my Department will continue to seek options to provide practical support, where possible, to individuals with permission to travel to Ireland, including students.