The Irish and French governments have discussed cooperation on evacuating citizens from Gaza as it faces the threat of a ground invasion by Israeli forces.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met French President Emmanuel Macron and said afterwards that the views of the Irish and French governments are "very much aligned" on the situation in the Middle East.
During the one hour meeting at the Elysee Palace, he said they agreed on the need to avoid an escalation in the region which was of particular concern to Ireland as it has troops in both Lebanon and Syria.
Mr Varadkar said there are about 40 Irish citizens in Gaza who are either UN aid workers or dual citizens and arrangements are being made to evacuate them if they want to leave.
He said he and Mr Macron had discussed how they might cooperate in that evacuation.
The Taoiseach said that both governments agreed on the need for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza and that while Israel had a right to defend itself and go after terrorists it must act within and international humanitarian law.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there are about 40 Irish citizens in Gaza. He met with French President Macron this evening where they discussed cooperation on evacuating citizens from Gaza as it faces the threat of a ground invasion by Israeli forces | https://t.co/oMITzB7ot8 pic.twitter.com/AGoMCJJic7
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 15, 2023
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is in "constant contact with a small number of citizens in Gaza and with all relevant authorities in respect of their cases" and described the situation as "complex and extremely fluid".
Earlier, the Tánaiste said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is working with the leaders of the 27 EU states to develop an agreed position on the situation in Israel and Gaza.
This is expected to be ready in the coming days and will be built around basic principles, he said.
Micheál Martin said the task is challenging given the spectrum of views across the member states, but Ireland has emphasised its concerns and priorities in discussions with Mr Michel.
He said Ireland was clear in highlighting the importance of international law and the urgent need to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.
"The situation is dire in respect of food, fuel, heat and water and it is imperative that we get humanitarian corridors up and running to enable vital and urgent aid to get into Gaza," he said.
The Tánaiste said the indiscriminate and random nature of the Hamas attack was quite shocking and immoral.
"We've also made in clear that in terms of Gaza, two wrongs do not make a right," he said.
Mr Martin also criticised some Sinn Féin TDs, who he accused of implying, in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack, that it "was an act self-defence".
"The Sinn Féin position has been one of support for Hamas. They have platformed Hamas and it reveals a truth that Sinn Féin's foreign policy over many years has not been scrutinized enough here," Mr Martin said.
Earlier, Mr Martin said he was "deeply concerned at the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory".
In a statement, he said Hamas continues to fire rockets indiscriminately into Israel and the hostages taken to Gaza "must be released immediately, without preconditions".
In relation to Israeli strikes in Gaza, he said: "International humanitarian law exists for a reason. Its overarching aim is to protect civilians; all civilians, everywhere.
"The rules are clear and they apply to all parties to all conflicts everywhere; state actor and non-state actors alike.
"The decision by the Israeli military to tell the entire civilian population in the north of the Gaza strip to move southward for their own safety is deeply dangerous and impossible to implement.
"The UN has been very clear: it is not possible for such a move to take place without serious humanitarian consequences and the likelihood of a catastrophic situation."
He added: "There is no doubt about the brutal criminality of Hamas and their utter disregard for human life, including the lives of their fellow Palestinians. But we absolutely must distinguish between Hamas and Palestinian civilians in Gaza".
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Gaza braces for Israeli ground assault, fears of conflict spreading grow
Israeli military says it will continue to let Gazans evacuate southward
Mr Martin said the Government is in contact with the UN and other partners on an ongoing basis on work to create humanitarian corridors from Egypt, to get vital supplies to civilians in urgent need in Gaza.
He added that he is "also deeply concerned about rising violence and deaths in the West Bank, including increased incidents of settler violence and displacement of Palestinian communities.
"Under international law, Israel has a right to defend itself from attack, but this must be done within the parameters of international humanitarian law."
He said that he welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's "clear remarks on this" during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Tánaiste said that "the rules of war exist to help preserve humanity in its darkest moments, and they desperately need to be followed today.
"They are, and should remain, our compass to ensure that we put humanity first."
Speaking later at the annual Fianna Fáil Wolfe Tone Commemoration at Bodenstown, Co Kildare, Mr Martin said the savage acts of Hamas cannot be justified by anyone.
He also criticised those in Irish politics who were initially slow to condemn the attack and he said that Ireland is equally resolute that Israel must uphold humanitarian principles.
"If you cannot condemn this without a lengthy delay and without adding in weasel words about equivalence, all it does is prove that you do not actually believe in basic values.
"You will relativise anything and put your group interests ahead of everything," the Tánaiste said.
Meanwhile, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said Europe has to be "clear" and "unequivocal" on its position and response to the conflict in Gaza and Israel, saying there are rules around war.
"While Israel has a right to defend itself...we are all very clear, Ursula von der Leyen is clear, Europe is clear that any response has to be within international law, has to take into account humanitarian law, has to protect civilians."
Ireland has 'significant' peacekeeping role - McEntee
Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, she also said Israel's request for civilians to move south from Gaza is not realistic, warning it will risk the lives of thousands of people.
"This is a strip of land the size of Leitrim. The idea that millions of people would move south, it's not credible. If there is movement on land we will see the loss of thousands of civilian life. And that cannot happen. And our voice needs to be very strong and clear in saying that."
She said there is "no way" that aid will be cut off to Palestine and added that Ireland is engaged with the UN to ensure aid is brought in and also in relation to humanitarian corridors.
"It is so important that we do not see the catastrophic loss of human life over the weeks and months. And that is what I am concerned about here.
"I utterly condemn the brutal attacks by Hamas but we need to, in response, make sure we do not see the same type of loss of life and we are all starting to see that, 700 children killed in Gaza alone in the last few days."
Minister McEntee said Ireland has always played a "significant role" in peacekeeping and despite being a small country, it has a "very strong voice".
She said as this conflict escalates they will day by day make decisions regarding consulate and embassy staff and other Irish citizens who are based there.
"We have Irish people working on the ground. We need to make sure they are safe. The only way we can do that is by taking them out if that is what needs to happen.
Ireland has constructive role to play - Carthy
Speaking on the same programme, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said there should always be hope of a space for diplomacy and highlighted how in these situations " language matters".
He believes Ms von der Leyen's position is not tenable following her remarks on the confict, where she was accused of bias towards Israel.
He said what is happening in Gaza is a form of ethnic cleansing. "We need to call it out for what it is."
"We should not be afraid to call it out" and that is something we should be very strong on, he said.
Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy said it is very "welcome language" used by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste regarding the need to heed international law and also to de-escalate this conflict.
He said it means Ireland is an "outlier in European terms."
He added that it is a "crystallisation" for Ireland to have an independent foreign policy because of its past experiences, including being colonised.
Mr Carthy said there is knowledge of what the basis for peace is from the Oslo Accords and he believes Ireland has a constructive role to play, highlighted by the comments made by Ireland's leaders this week.
Independent TD Marian Harkin said Ireland was very quick to counter the comments made by the Hungarian Commissioner about ceasing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
"That was an important role", she said.
She echoed those who condemned European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's comments, saying she "does not have the authority to try to represent Europe in that way."
She believes Ireland has an" even-handed" approach to this crisis and said that it is in contrast to some other European countries.
She warned against having a response of " revenge" and said it is about pushing for a two-state solution.
Additional reporting: Mícheál Lehane
