The first group of children from Gaza evacuated to receive medical treatment in Ireland have arrived in the country, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has confirmed.
Government approval was secured in September for Ireland to evacuate a number of sick children from Gaza for treatment and care, following an appeal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address the current health needs of people in the region.
Eight children arrived in Dublin late on Thursday evening accompanied by eight carers and 11 siblings.
The group travelled on a plane provided by the Slovakian government for the medical evacuation and were accompanied by three medical doctors from the Health Service Executive (HSE) and a translator.
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They will attend a hospital on Friday for a full medical assessment, before being settled into accommodation over the weekend.
In a statement, Mr Donnelly, said he is “pleased” the first medical evacuation of Palestinian children to Ireland has happened.
“I want to offer my sincere thanks to the doctors, nurses, HSE, Irish Red Cross (IRC), WHO, the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, the officials across government departments, and all who have been involved in this successful operation,” he said.
“There is no justification for the deliberate attacks on civilians and healthcare services in Gaza and the loss of life has been devastating. Ireland has been clear that this conflict should stop. I’m pleased that Ireland is playing a part in treating children whose lives have been devastated by this needless war and I wish these children well in their time ahead here in Ireland.”
It is estimated that Ireland will receive up to 30 paediatric patients in total from Gaza for a variety of health needs, except for orthopaedics due to pressure on services in this area.
Under this initiative the children and their families are housed in accommodation managed by the IRC. A caseworker and translation services are provided.
In addition, the HSE will provide appropriate psychosocial assessment for both patients and carers. All patients and carers received health screening before travel.
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