The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has condemned the continued blocking of Irish-funded maternity care from entering the Gaza strip and has urged the Irish Government to engage with its Israeli counterparts in ensuring the aid reaches those in need. 

In a letter to Minister Helen McEntee this week, ICTU urged the Irish Government to make representations directly to the Israeli Government, as well as through the United Nations (UN) and European Union, to allow the entry of medical aid into Gaza.  

The mobile maternity units, which were part funded by donations from across the island of Ireland, have been developed to provide women in Gaza with safe and secure maternity care. The units have been denied access due to restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the entry of medical vehicles into Gaza. 

As a result, the units are unable to cross despite being ready for deployment. 

ICTU vice president and Fórsa deputy general secretary, Katie Morgan, said: “The deliberate blocking of Irish-funded maternity units from entering Gaza is a cruel and indefensible act that directly endangers the lives of women and babies. This is not a bureaucratic delay, it is a political decision by the Israeli state to inflict collective punishment on a civilian population.” 

“Silence or half-measures from the international community are not acceptable, and the Irish Government must challenge Israel to end this obstruction and allow lifesaving care into Gaza immediately,” said Katie. 

According to the United Nations, around 130 babies are born each day across Gaza. More than a quarter are delivered by caesarean section. One in five is born too early or underweight, often with complications that would normally require specialised care. 

UNICEF said that in October alone, 8,300 pregnant and breastfeeding women were admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition, contrasting this with the stark reality that there was no ‘discernible malnutrition’ in Gaza before October 2023. 

ICTU said the sole purpose of these maternity units is to provide the most fundamental care to women and infants in Gaza, and it was inexplicable that they would be denied entry at the border. 

President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, and general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “After years of violence, brutality, and genocide, the people of Gaza urgently need access to medical care, and we were heartened by the response of the Irish public in funding specially fitted units for maternity care. The continued refusal to allow them to enter the Gaza strip is a blatant breach of the most fundamental of human rights.” 

The coordination efforts are led by Medics World Wide, working closely with key humanitarian and coordinating bodies, most notably the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Egyptian Committee. 

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