Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her question. I reiterate Ireland's total condemnation of the attack by Hamas and other militant groups on Israel and the devastating loss of life it has caused. Civilians were targeted. Young people, older people, children, peace activists were killed or taken hostage. In these circumstances, Israel has the right to defend itself. It is surrounded by enemies, many of whom want to see Israel wiped off the map, or as they say, from the mountains to the sea. It is critical the right to defend itself is done within the parameters of international humanitarian law, with a response that is proportionate, and protection of civilians and de-escalation must be a priority. Israel has united itself in response to these attacks and is gaining a lot of solidarity from other parts of the world, but I believe that will evaporate very quickly if the Israeli response in Gaza and elsewhere is disproportionate. There must be restraint and there must be no attacks on civilian infrastructure. If it is unacceptable for the President of Russia to target power stations and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, then the same must apply to the Israeli Government and the actions it takes on targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

In addition to that, I give the assurance that Irish aid will continue, as will EU aid. That aid is not aid for Hamas; it is aid for Palestinian civilians and they need it to have any form of decent existence. Certainly we will not support any suspension of Irish or EU aid, provided the money goes to the Palestinian people and not to Hamas.

As to Ireland's role, we will do all we can at an EU level and all we can at a UN level. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is very much engaged in that effort. As I said, we have a long-standing commitment to supporting humanitarian aid and development projects in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories. Our funding provides emergency assistance to the most vulnerable while also assisting the Palestinian Authority in public service delivery in the West Bank. The funding is €16 million this year and that will continue.

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