Writing on social media, he said: “The Book of Kells is now closed indefinitely. No business as usual during a genocide.”

The students have said they intend to remain on campus until their demands are met.

The protest comes after Trinity College’s students’ union said it had been fined 214,000 euros by the university for financial losses incurred because of protests – not exclusively about the war in Gaza – in recent months.

In a post on social media, the college said: “Trinity supports students’ right to protest within the rules of the university”. It added that access to campus was restricted to students, staff and residents with college ID cards only.

In a statement last week, Linda Doyle, the head of the university, said Trinity College was reviewing  its investments in a portfolio of companies, and that decisions on whether to work with Israeli institutions rested with individual academics.

The Trinity encampment is the first set up in Ireland, which has long been a champion of Palestinian rights. Its government has pledged to formally recognise Palestine as a state soon.