Twenty-three Irish citizens are in Egypt having left Gaza through the Rafah crossing today.
The figure was confirmed by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, who spoke to reporters in Cairo.
Ibrahim Alagha, who fled the territory with his family, said they made their way through the crossing, where they had queued since 7am local time (5am Irish time).
Earlier today, Mr Alagha said he initially thought the border was closed, but at 10.20am local time (8.20am Irish time) they began moving through.
He said he had "mixed feelings" about leaving Gaza.
"On one side, I'm happy that I'm going back home, going back to my normal life. But on the other hand, I'm leaving behind my friends and relatives and some nice memories."
Speaking tonight, Mr Alagha said: "All is good, I'm in Egypt right now. It was a very lengthy day. Around 12 hours at the border, very strict paperwork. But anyway we made it, but we’re very tired."
Another Irish-Palestinian family have managed to escape Gaza after being told they were on the list of people to leave the warzone.
Aymen Shaheen, his wife Suha, his 19-year-old daughter Rawan and 12-year-old son Ibrahim were contacted by the Department of Foreign Affairs last night.
The family had waited in accommodation in Rafah for the past four weeks to get permission to leave Gaza.
They moved from Gaza City in the north to Rafah in the south at the start of last month. Before this they lived in Dublin for nine years, but returned to live in Gaza last summer.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland before crossing, Mr Shaheen confirmed the Department of Foreign Affairs contacted him to tell him he and his family were included on the list to depart Gaza via the Rafah crossing today.
He said it was like being chosen by God to survive.
"It's an excellent feeling. Finally, we'll do it. We will cross the border. You feel like God has chosen you to survive. It's a great feeling we are leaving but there are 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who will continue to live a nightmare," he said.
"Everything in Gaza is upside down. It is a hell to be honest. It is hard to find food, hard to find water. It's hard for everyone. I am lucky. I am so happy that I am going to leave," he said.
Thoraya Shaheen, who lives in Blessington in Co Wicklow, spoke to her mother this morning and she told her they were in the process of crossing.
The call dropped but Ms Shaheen said she had received a message from a relative in Egypt confirming that the family had made it across the border and were on en route to accommodation.
Include my motherless children on evacuation list, begs Irish father
An Irish-Palestinian man is calling on the Government to ensure his two young children are evacuated from Gaza.
Khalid El Estal's children, four-year-old Ali and one-year-old Sara remain in Gaza because they were not on today’s list to leave the territory.
Their mother, Ashwak, was killed from injuries sustained during Israeli shelling of Gaza.
Mr El Estal called on the Government to ensure his children are included on the next evacuation list from Gaza.
He also called for his children’s safe passage from Khan Yunis to Rafah because it is dangerous.
Speaking to Morning Ireland, he said: "I am begging them to put get my children's names on the next list and to make sure they will be safe when they reach the border crossing."
Mr El Estal added that he hopes the Government can help "arrange something" to get his children to the border crossing.
"I’m calling them to put their names on the list for as soon as possible. I'm also looking for them to have a safe passage to the border crossing. It's very dangerous," said Mr El Estal.
Mr El Estal’s brother-in-law, who has an Irish visa, will accompany the children on the journey from Gaza to Ireland.
Mr El Estal, 30, grew up in Belfast where he went to primary school, and in recent years has been working in Saudi Arabia, but is currently living in Ireland.
