Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Tánaiste for his strong speech. We will debate the motion from the Civil Engagement Group tomorrow but I welcome the statement he has shared with us today.

Like so many other people, I feel utterly helpless. Many Irish people feel this way and are expressing it by the sharing of emails and so on. The platform this issue has in Ireland is notable compared with what is happening in other countries. I was in Westminster yesterday for a meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and it was shocking to me that this issue does not dominate public discussion there the way it does here. We live in a safe functioning democracy but there are 2.3 million people in Gaza existing in a living hell. There is no end and no hope in sight for them.

I participated in a vigil outside the Kildare Street gate a couple of weeks ago at which I read out the names of the victims in recent weeks. I started with children who were 17 and I got to children who were seven. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever done. I read out those names remembering that I have two children aged nine and 11. The children who have lost their lives in Gaza deserved the same chance of life and the same hope and opportunity as do children in Ireland. The indiscriminate attacks on women and children are appalling. As the Tánaiste said, there is a new term to refer to wounded children with no surviving parents. That kind of terminology is not terminology we should be familiar with, never mind the children concerned.

There has been a targeting of the independent journalists on whom we rely, with 122 losing their lives. Let us also remember the heroic work of health workers and the sacrifice they, too, are making to try to save lives. I am struck by the trauma that will haunt the children in Gaza for years. Senator O'Reilly is right that they are being driven into radicalisation. It is very concerning. Nothing justifies what happened on 7 October. I utterly condemn the keeping of hostages. At the same time, however, Israel needs to stop hiding behind the justification of self-defence. As we know, self-defence is supposed to be a shield. It is not supposed to be a sword. Every day, people have a choice when it comes to the use of violence. We on this island know that. They are choosing to continue the suffering, the destruction of human life and the violation of international law. They are choosing violence as a means to an end, but an end that can never be achieved. An ideology can never be annihilated. It is only possible to offer alternatives and hope.

We need to put all of our energy into a political peace process and the achievement of a sustainable two-state solution. I know from the Tánaiste's speech today that this is where every fibre of the Government's energy is going. I commend him on taking a stand when others were not. I believe Ireland will be on the right side of history as time goes on. We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. We must do everything to stop the military escalation in Rafah and the needless loss of life. We need to use our soft power to influence the EU and the US to achieve a peaceful solution and the use of EU sanctions.