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

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue which I think is on the minds of everyone in this House and everyone in the country. On behalf of the Government, I condemn unequivocally the bombing of the Anglican Al-Ahli hospital yesterday in Gaza. It was an atrocity. It violated the rules of war and violated basic humanity. It might yet prove to be a war crime but whatever has happened, the violence must stop and we stand in full solidarity with the people of Israel and Palestine who want the violence to stop, and there are many of them. We do not yet know the details or all the facts about the attack, whether it was deliberate or intentional, whether it was carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces, Palestinian Hamas or Islamic Jihad. We need an independent investigation if that is at all possible. What is certain, however, is that the Palestinian civilians here are the innocent victims. That is absolutely certain.

As a Government, we call for three things to happen immediately: for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to be observed by all parties to the conflict, and let me be clear about that; for Hamas to release its hostages and to do so immediately, without precondition, and to lay down its arms; and for Israel to turn back on the power and water and to allow humanitarian corridors to be created to relieve the extraordinary burden on the people of Palestine who are suffering today.

What is clear is that there is no military solution to this conflict. It has been going on for 75 years or more now. The only solution is peace, and a just peace. Caithimid sos cogaidh a fháil anois, ar gach taobh.

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