A Laois Palestine Group have expressed their disappointment with the cancellation of the GAA Palestine trip, having recently raised money towards the campaign.

The Department of Justice have denied entry to 33 Palestinian children and their mentors, who planned to travel around Irish tourist sites and visit GAA clubs for two weeks.

Thousands of euro were raised by the Irish public to facilitate this trip, which included €38,000 in non-refundable return flights that were legally required for entry to the country.

On Saturday July 12, the Laois Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Laois IPSC) raised over €500 for the cause through a coffee morning.

Pictured: Laois IPSC's recent coffee morning in aid of GAA Palestine

"We are a small group in a small community and we wanted to help," Faith Quille from Laois IPSC told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"Laois GAA weren't planned to host the group, but there have been fundraisers all across the country. Thousands have been donated on the Irish side to make this happen, not to mention the work that has gone into this.

"Hundreds of people were involved, and all the money that went to the accommodation, the tour buses around the country and the tour of Croke Park, it's all gone," she said.

"The money we collected will still go to GAA Palestine for anything they need in the West Bank. So many people put energy into making this happen, and the Irish Government thought the risk was too great. The Government could have made this happen, Jim O'Callaghan in particular," Ms Quille argued.

Ms Quille expressed her disappointment at the cancellation of this trip.

"Obviously the children that are in the West Bank aren't allowed to travel, they have planned for this over a year now.

"It's a very tough regime for the children to even travel to a local training ground in the West Bank, they have to get through several checkpoints held by the Israeli army. It's a lot for them before even getting to point of leaving the country," she said.

Pictured: Dozens of people came out to support Laois IPSC's fundraiser on July 12

"The committee here are very disappointed after arranging this tour, all of the host families and GAA staff who have come forward in support. There were different donations made of meals, tours of different museums, including a lot of GAA centred experiences. None of that is happening now."

"It's really disappointing across the board. It's disappointing for the 33 children, but also the mentors. A part of their visa applications involved the booking of non-refundable return flights amounting to almost €40,000.

"It's very confusing for our group, how they didn't prove their intent to return to Palestine, while they have return flights and families to go home to," she highlighted.

"It's not from the Gaza strip, they are coming from the West Bank. They are not trying to slyly sneak into the country.

"It was very strictly scheduled, all the visits they would make and families they would stay with were transparent and pre-planned."

Ms Quille explained that a member of the GAA Palestine committee recently told her that the children were most excited for 'the things we take for granted'.

Pictured: Laois IPSC at a recent march in Cork

"A committee member who attended our coffee event is in direct contact with the Palestinian GAA coaches, who had told them how excited the children were to go on trains, and see the sea. This was supposed to be a  cultural exchange opportunity with all the Cúl Camps they linked up with, where Irish children could learn about Palestine, and they could learns about Ireland in turn," she explained.

"The children could bring back their experiences and hold on to that bit of hope. It seems like the Government like to say that they are pro-Palestine and condemn the genocide, yet their words say one thing while their actions don't match," she slammed.

"They have not implemented any chance that they have had. The Government is also blocking dancers from the Lajee Center in Bethlehem to come into Ireland. The Occupied Territories Bill has yet to happen, and American war planes still travel through Shannon. It's all empty promises," she said.

"It's so wrong that because children are from a certain place with a certain passport, they don't get the same opportunities. This was an innocent sports tour that involved playing games, where children would have the chance to feel safe for a week or two," Ms Quille finished.

Laois IPSC will attend an upcoming march in Kilkenny City on August 2, and have invited Laois locals to take part.

Read Next: Objections made against planned Mountmellick Lidl supermarket