The names of 27 Irish citizens and their dependents are on today's list of those allowed leave Gaza.

People in the Gaza Strip “are facing the immediate possibility of starvation”, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

WFP executive director Cindy McCain said on Thursday food and water supplies are “practically non-existent” in Gaza.

There is another communications black out in Gaza: a lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip shut down all internet and phone networks yesterday, the main Palestinian telecom provider said, effectively cutting off the besieged territory from the outside world.

Closer to home the European Commission is to refer Ireland, Belgium and Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to notify national measures fully transposing an EU directive on work-life balance rights for parents and carers.

The HSE is expected to secure somewhere between 160 and 200 medical beds in additional capacity through private hospitals in the coming days, as it estimates that it will have spent €130 million on private sector capacity by the end of this year, outside of National Treatment Fund spending. 

Paid sick leave will increase from three to five days a year in January.

Finally, divisional bulletins issued this morning you can read them here:

Civil Service
Education

Health & Welfare
Local Authorities
Services & Enterprises

Tomorrow a national demonstration for Palestine will take place, meeting at the Garden of Remembrance of 1pm. Kevin Donoghue will be giving out flags and banners in Nerney's Court from 12.30pm

.

Have a lovely weekend