The first group of Palestinian children to be medically evacuated to Ireland for healthcare treatment has arrived, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said. The eight children, accompanied by eight carers and 11 siblings, travelled to Ireland late yesterday on a plane provided by the Slovakian government for the medical evacuation. In April, the World Health Organisation (WHO) requested support from EU member states to medically evacuate Palestinian patients to Europe. More than 14,500 children have been reportedly killed in Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, according to UNICEF. Ten states, including Ireland, offered to