The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that a number of Irish citizens remain in Gaza amid the ongoing violence in the region.
The department confirmed the situation to RTÉ's Saturday with Barry Lenihan programme, which heard from Batoul Hania, an Irish-Palestinian woman whose husband Zak Hania remains in Gaza and pleaded for Government to help him leave.
Speaking to the programme, Batoul Hania said she and her husband Zak are dual citizens and lived in Ireland before returning to Gaza in recent years.
Last month, Batoul, Zak and their children arrived at the border crossing with Egypt to escape the violence in the region.
However, while Batoul and their children were allowed to leave, Zak and his relative Mohammed were told they could not do so.
"It was heartbreaking. Not just saying goodbye, saying farewell to somebody, you are in extraordinary conditions. You are leaving somebody in danger," Batoul said.
"Any moment I can receive bad news about my husband, my kids father, and I can be left without him the rest of my life. I was pushed to do this. Zak was telling me just go out.
"I was crying. He was telling me if I was killed at least you and the kids would be in a safer place.
"I really regret leaving him, I know I'm safe now, my kids safe, but as a family security is to be together, not one in danger and others in safer place."
Batoul said she met Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mícheál Martin recently to discuss Zak's situation, and told him that both Zak and Mohammed are Irish citizens.
"I wanted to know why they were refused, he didn't give a clear reason. He said I cannot promise to bring them back, but we are doing our best and will do our best.
"And I was telling him that you have to have more action towards this, because Zak is an Irish citizen, you cannot leave him behind," she said.
Asked how she felt after the meeting, Batoul said: "To be honest with you, I was feeling really shattered and not knowing what to do. I felt helpless at that time.
"You know, every day, every morning, I try to contact him to know he is still alive and breathing. And when the [internet] connection goes I get very scared about him.
"This morning, he sends me a voice message, the very regular and routine message that we are still here and have not died ... to say we are still here, we haven't died."
Batoul said her message to Government is "another appeal, a final appeal".
She said: "I'm appealing to anybody in authority to please do something about this shattered family.
"Please, at least if you cannot ceasefire, do something for the people of Gaza, do something for your own citizens. Please, Irish Government, you are the mother of all Irish citizens in Gaza, they are in danger.
"Every family in Ireland is going to have a good time next week, but unfortunately not my family. Safety for a family, for us, is to be safety with my husband and their father."
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Responding to the case on the same programme, Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne said: "Nobody could be but moved listening to a family in a split situation in war."
Mr Byrne confirmed a small number of Irish citizens remain in Gaza, but declined to outline how many due to "long-standing policy" of only engaging with the families involved.
He said Mr Martin and diplomats are working to ensure everything "is being done" to help Irish citizens in Gaza, and that this is "very active".
Asked to respond to plans for People Before Profit to hold a press conference in the coming days to criticiSe the Government's approach to helping Irish citizens in Gaza so far compared to other countries and their citizens in Gaza, Mr Byrne said: "From PBP? Look, the department is engaging with the families not PBP.
"There is absolutely no evidence for that. It doesn't happen in isolation, Ireland doesn't go over on its own."
Independent TD for Sligo-Leitrim Marian Harkin said she is aware of one Sligo-based Palestinian person whose diabetic parents are living in a camp in Gaza without any insulin.
Speaking on the same programme, Ms Harkin said: "It's not quite the same, but I am aware of a Sligo citizen whose parents are in Gaza.
"They're both diabetic, their house has been destroyed and they're now living in a camp with no insulin, the same nightmare [as the Hania family].
"I have spoken with Mícheál Martin on this, the issue is to get them on the list [of Irish citizens so that they have a better chance of leaving Gaza].
"To be fair, it isn't easy for the Irish Government, they've called out things like the collective punishment in Gaza, but I suppose they have to find the balance between the big picture where I think they have made us all proud with their stance," she said.
Speaking on the same programme, Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan said the cases "highlight that no where in Gaza is safe".
"The big thing is to have a ceasefire in Gaza. A ceasefire would guarantee the safety of all those people who are safe," Ms Boylan said.
