22. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she has raised the case of four Gaza students accepted into the Irish University Sanctuary Programme and who are due to study at the University of Limerick, with Israeli authorities, following their rejection at the Kerem Shalom crossing; the work her Department is taking to secure their transit through Jordan to Ireland; and if she will make a statement on matter. [59790/26]

As the Deputy will be aware, since the start of the Gaza crisis, my Department has facilitated nearly 400 people to exit Gaza and travel to Ireland. Those departing Gaza included university students taking up studies in Ireland’s Higher Education Institutions, some of whom won places on the Ireland-Palestine Scholarship Programme or were in receipt of Government of Ireland scholarships, and others who had secured HEI scholarships.

Their arrival has been facilitated through close coordination between my Department, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Irish Higher Education Institutions, the Irish Council for International Students, and the Higher Education Authority.

On the specific matter raised by the Deputy, I am not aware of any students that were refused permission to cross the Kerem Shalom crossing. However, I am aware that some Palestinians, who were otherwise eligible to travel, did not receive these necessary permissions to leave Gaza. As I am sure you are aware, facilitating travel from Gaza is complex and requires close cooperation, and detailed planning across multiple organisations and jurisdictions. It is also dependent on receipt of a number of permissions from relevant authorities.

Looking ahead, while the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is relatively limited in the assistance it can provide to non-Irish citizens, I can assure you that my Department, including officials across our regional embassy network, continue to work with our partners to provide practical support to those with the necessary permissions to travel.

Finally, I can assure the Deputy that the situation in Palestine remains a central priority for the Government, and we continue to press for immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access in Gaza, advocate for a lasting and peaceful resolution to the current conflict based on the two-State solution, and stress our deep concern at the deteriorating situation in the West Bank.