Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has secured Government approval to bring 30 "very sick children" injured in Gaza to Ireland for medical care.
The initiative follows months of work across Government departments, along with the input of medical doctors and the Irish Red Cross.
The Cabinet met this morning ahead of the return of the Dáil after the summer recess.
"I really want to thank the nurses, the doctors who've been involved in this," Minister Donnelly said.
"Irish healthcare professionals, the Irish Red Cross have been very involved as well. We've been working behind the scenes for quite some time to bring this about.
"It's in response to World Health Organization's ask for help for these children."
He said Ireland would take in some very sick children, including "ones that the Egyptian health services were looking for us to help with are ones that the Egyptian health authorities may not have been as comfortable with".
He said this was just a modest step, in terms of the scale of "the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent children, women and men".
However he said it was an important role which Ireland was playing in terms of what he said was an "horrific conflict".
This plan is aiming to evacuate around 30 children from Gaza before the end of the year in what would be the first phase of the programme.
The children will travel with a carer, who will be accommodated in homes owned by healthcare workers.
The children who need care will be flown into the country by the European Union, with the ambulance service and other State agencies all involved once they arrive.
Under the plan, an advance team from Ireland will travel before any medical evacuation.
This team includes health officials and medics who will complete the health screening of patients and carers prior to clearing them for travel.
Children with various conditions will be treated in Ireland, but this does not include orthopedic patients, due to ongoing efforts to increase the number of operations being carried out in this area.
The health needs are categorised under cancer, haemodialysis and patients with other severe medical conditions.
Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman welcomes the plan, saying it is "a further demonstration of the Government's approach to the conflict and the destruction in Gaza".
