Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Táim chun filleadh ar ábhar Gaza agus ar an ár atá ar siúl faoi láthair, ár a thosaigh ar an lá seo mí ó shin agus ár a chuir Hamas tús leis nuair a maraíodh 1,400 duine. Tá sé sin cáinte go láidir agam ach tá Iosrael anois tar éis leanúint ar aghaidh leis an ár atá á dhéanamh aige ar feadh míosa. Tá sé ráite ag António Guterres gurb ionann Gaza agus reilig do ghasúir. Tá páiste beag, buachaill nó cailín, ag fáil bás chuile deich nóiméad. Dar le Guterres, is géarchéim dhaonnúil é an tromluí atá ag tarlú i nGaza ach, níos measa fós, is géarchéim don chine daonna iad na himpleachtaí a bhaineann leis an rud atá ag tarlú.

I praise the Taoiseach for leadership in calling out what is happening with regard to Israel. It was a little belated but it has happened and the Taoiseach has done that and shown leadership at a time when it is needed but we need to do a lot more. I am standing here today a month after the slaughter of 1,400 Israelis, which I am on record as condemning. I am equally on record for condemning what Israel has done, which is totally against international law, disproportionate and unacceptable on any level. In one month, we have lost 4,237 children, which is one child every ten minutes. This is not self defence. This is not a defence army. It is a warmongering army. We have lost 10,328 Palestinians in total, 37 journalists and 89 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, with approximately 25,408 people injured, not to mention the 1.5 million people who have been displaced and so on. There has been indiscriminate bombing of civilians, homes, hospitals, refugee camps and schools, which is entirely against international humanitarian law.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has said that Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. He said:

The nightmare for Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis. It is a crisis of humanity.

I am asking for us to use our voice. We cannot wait for Europe to mature and get its act together. We need to use our voices to call for an immediate ceasefire to stop the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, hospitals and houses.

In destroying Hamas, it is destroying Gaza and the Palestinian people. On what level is that acceptable? I ask for the Taoiseach and all of us here to stand together and make it clear to Israel that we are not behind this and will not support it. There are many things that can be done. Deputy Cairns has mentioned the trade agreement. That is something the Taoiseach can look at immediately. There is also a resolution at the UN he can look at. Tiocfaidh mé ar ais.

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