Medical evacuation of children from Gaza to Ireland ‘a matter of life and death', Mary Lou McDonald says
Gaza
to
Ireland
is a 'matter of life and death,'
Sinn Féin
leader
Mary Lou McDonald
has said.
Ms McDonald has called on the
Government
to fly the next group of seriously ill children out of the
war
zone without delay.
The State has agreed to help up to 30 children to leave Gaza. So far, 12 children have been brought to the Republic, in two separate missions.
Ms McDonald raised the issue in the Dáil on Wednesday after
The Irish Times reported that at least eight seriously ill children
were selected for medical evacuation from Gaza to the Republic in June, but they are not expected to be flown out of the Middle East until September.
READ MORE
A memo will be brought to the Government to clarify that the children's siblings can also be evacuated along with the paediatric patients and their carers. Three people involved in the evacuation project had confirmed that they were advised that concerns about visas for the children's siblings had stalled the evacuation mission.
Ms McDonald told the Dáil there was 'every chance' that these children will be killed while they wait for medical evacuation. She also called on the Government to add Jordan as another approved evacuation route. So far, all of the children brought to the State have come via Egypt.
[
Gaza children chosen for treatment in Ireland not expected to fly here until September
Opens in new window
]
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that there is 'no delay' to the evacuation mission, and the next group of children could be flown to Ireland before the memo is brought to Government.
Ms McDonald also wrote to Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Tánaiste Simon Harris on Wednesday to ask that the evacuation be expedited.
'Your proposed time frame of autumn will be too late for some or all these children. It is a matter of life and death which demands immediate intervention,' she said.
'It is vital that you take the necessary action within your department as Minister for Health to expedite the arrival of the next group of 18 children. Not to do so represents gross negligence, and I implore you to act without further delay.'
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