Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that he has not been briefed about any Irish citizen being held in Gaza.
However, he said that it is "not to say it is not the case though". The Irish Government would not confirm Iranian media reports that Tánaiste Micheál Martin asked Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian for assistance in the release of an Irish citizen in Gaza.
Asked in Seoul, South Korea, if he could confirm whether or not an Irish citizen was being held in Gaza, the Taoiseach replied: "I’m afraid I can’t".
"I know the Tánaiste has had a phone call with the Iranian foreign minister but I was given a readout on that, but not that particular detail," Mr Varadkar said. "That's not to say it is not the case though.
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"[The phone call] was about bilateral relations and also about the situation in Gaza. The Tanaiste made a number of phone calls to counterparts in the region really to hear their assessment of the situation and explore what could be done."
When it was put to him that as Taoiseach he would know if there was an Irish citizen in Hamas custody, he noted that it was "not something that has happened before". He replied: "I'm not sure what the precedent is but what I can say is I haven't been briefed on that.
"I wasn’t on the phone call, I don’t know what they discussed. I haven't been briefed on anything in relation to an Irish citizen kidnapped by Hamas."
A spokeswoman for Micheal Martin said: "The Tanaiste has been engaging extensively with Foreign Ministers from across the region on the situation in Gaza. In all his contacts, he has emphasised the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid; the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; the desperate situation for civilians in Gaza; and the increasing urgent need for all Irish citizens in Gaza to be facilitated to leave as soon as possible.
"All these issues were raised in the Tanaiste’s call with the Iranian Foreign Minister." When pressed further about the reports that the Tanaiste is working to secure the release of a kidnapped Irish citizen, the spokeswoman said there would be no further comment.
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