Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The ambassador's concluding remark referred to the European Union's humanitarian aid programme. At a time like this, we should not lose sight of the terrible atrocities that continue to occur in Syria and that region. We are aware of the ongoing barbarity of ISIL. I understand that in a five-day period in the past week 143 civilians were killed by Assad's barrel bombing, including 29 children and 28 women. Humanitarian aid is still not reaching people who have been starving. It is an issue that must be kept at the forefront of EU policy and work.