Group of Palestinian children arrive in Ireland for ‘urgent’ medical treatment

It is the fifth medical evacuation from Gaza to Ireland.

They will undergo medical assessments by teams from Children’s Health Ireland before undergoing treatment, some of which is life-saving.

The children, who have been described as 'very sick', are being housed in accommodation ran by the Irish Red Cross.

With the assistance of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the children and their carers were brought from Gaza to Jordan before meeting a team of Irish doctors who flew with them to Dublin on a plane provided by the Norwegian government.

The operation, which Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll-McNeil, called 'lengthy' and 'complex', came as a response to WHO's appeal to address the health needs of people from Gaza.

Additionally, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee stated that the children had 'endured an unimaginable ordeal, and they urgently need specialist medical care'.

"I am deeply relieved that they can now receive that care here in Ireland," she continued.

It marks the fifth medical evacuation of its kind from Gaza to Ireland since 2024, with the total number of treated patients rising to 27, almost reaching the Government's initial commitment to evacuate 30 children.

The Department of Health has said that the Irish Government will 'continue to opt in on a case-by-case basis for each child who requires treatment, subject to the necessary capacity being available at that time'.

Ireland now ranks third in terms of the number of children it has aided, falling just behind Malta and Norway on a per capita basis.