A group of athletes from Palestine's Special Olympics team is being prevented from leaving for the Games by Israeli authorities as violence worsens in the region.
At least four members of the 17-strong delegation are stranded in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli authorities said last night there was no guarantee the team would be permitted to leave for the Olympics as long as the fighting continued.
The Irish Ambassador in Tel Aviv was in contact with officials in the Israeli government yesterday and asked them to facilitate the departure of the team.
The border from Gaza to Egypt has been closed in recent days, and the upsurge in violence is likely to result in a further clampdown on activity.
However, the chairman of Kinsale's host town committee, Mr Garry Fitzsimons, which is due to accommodate the athletes at the weekend, said he was confident the entire delegation would arrive as planned.
"We've been in contact with the Taoiseach's office today, and it's looking a lot more positive that they will come now," he said.
"At this stage it seems to be more of a military issue than a political one. We'll be saying a few prayers and hope they can all come."
The athletes, who are due to participate in the handball competition, are due to leave for Ireland from Cairo on Saturday. Thirteen team members from the West Bank area of Palestine have already received clearance to travel from Jordan.
Fears that the team might not get permission to travel increased yesterday when the leader of the Palestinian delegation was refused permission to cross the border to Egypt despite holding a visa to enter Ireland.
The Dublin-based delegate-general of Palestine, Mr Ali Halimeh, said yesterday there was no justification for refusing the team permission to travel.
"A member of the delegation has been sent back from the border for the past three or four days. This is a humanitarian issue, and I see no reasons why they should be prevented from leaving. This is another example of collective punishment by the Israeli authorities," Mr Halimeh said.
However, Mr Boaz Rodkin, a counsellor at the Israeli embassy in Dublin, said he was hopeful the issue could be resolved "sooner rather than later".
Meanwhile Taiwan, the only country excluded from the games due to the risk of SARS, forwarded a proposal to the Department of Health yesterday which it is understood will be accepted and will allow its team to travel to the Games.
