The Department of Foreign Affairs said the decision was taken after hundreds of protesters were killed and injured.

The meeting comes after Ireland, Spain and Norway formally recognised a Palestinian state last week.

Micheál Martin also defended not inviting the Israeli ambassador to his party’s conference in Dublin this weekend.

About 50 Irish passport holders have so far made it through the Rafah crossing into Egypt from Gaza.

It came as more than a thousand protesters calling for the expulsion of the ambassador stood outside the Dáil

Israeli ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich was speaking ahead of a parliamentary motion about her position.

Senior ministers have repeated calls for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid into the Gaza Strip.