Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

On Sunday night there were 320 separate missile strikes on Gaza and on Monday that number was 400. The bombing is relentless and the carnage is unprecedented. More than 2,000 children have been killed. There are no words to describe the tragedy. Many world leaders are providing political and military support. The EU eventually managed to agree that Israel should abide by international law, but has yet to release a statement clearly stating that Israel is in breach of international law and is committing war crimes by the second. On Sunday, as Israel increased its bombardment of Gaza, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and America released yet another statement endorsing Israel's right to defend itself. However, Israel's actions are not a defence; they are an attempted annihilation of Gaza and its people. It is unbelievable that world leaders who profess to champion human rights are refusing to demand a stop to the consistent murder of innocent civilians. In its motion last week, the Government did not condemn the Israeli attacks. Will the Taoiseach do that now?

See this speech in context