Ireland is to provide an additional €6 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza, where a ceasefire has been in effect since Friday and where aid agencies are ramping up supplies to the war torn Palestinian territory.
Gaz has been left devastated by two years of war, with more than 67,000 people killed and where a global hunger monitor said aid restrictions had caused famine in parts and most of the 2.2 million people are homeless.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said the €6 million will be allocated to Ireland's UN partners, with €2m to UNICEF, another €2m to OCHA; €1m to the World Food Programme and the remaining €1m to the World Health Organization.
He said this brings the total contribution from Ireland to more than €89m, with support this year alone amounting to more than €35m.
Mr Harris said: "The blockade on humanitarian aid has resulted in famine and untold horror for people in Gaza. The ceasefire agreement and hostage release offers a ray of hope."
Earlier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the ceasefire agreement in Gaza is the "first step on a road to peace" and all parties must adhere to it over the coming days and weeks.
"Now is the time to seize the momentum and to begin the task of building a just and lasting peace in the region, based on a two-state solution," he said.
"We in Ireland know how long and difficult that journey can be, but we stand ready to assist in any way that we can."
He paid tribute to all those involved in securing the release of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, saying he was "deeply moved" by footage of the hostages being reunited with their families.
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"Like people all around the world, I am deeply moved by the scenes of hostages held by Hamas for more than two long years finally being reunited with their families," the Taoiseach said in a statement this morning.
"I pay enormous tribute to the patient work of all those who have brought us to this day, including the US, Qatar, Egypt and other partners.
"I am also thinking of the challenges faced by the people of Gaza as they return to their homes and the scale of devastation that they face."
Mr Martin said that along with a surge of humanitarian aid, immediate steps are needed to support the people of Gaza and provide vital services as winter approaches.
'Ray of hope'
Mr Harris described today as a "major step forward for peace" and said it was a day that many families feared would never come.
"We think of all the hostages this morning and their families as they are reunited. No peace plan is perfect. Such a thing does not exist," he said.
"We know that from our own complex history, but we also know how even the most complex conflicts and wars can end if everyone commits to peace and political pathways."
Mr Harris said Ireland remains ready to assist in any way it can, and is already assisting through the provision of humanitarian aid to the "starving people in Gaza".
He said he has directed his officials to prepare Ireland to do more in this area, and to work closely with international partners and agencies on the ground "to help in every way we can".
"Today, after more than two years of horror, pain and unimaginable loss of life, there is a ray of hope," the Tánaiste added.
