Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In Gaza, hospitals are turning into morgues. That is the chilling warning from the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC. We are hearing increasingly desperate reports from the United Nations, Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF, and other aid workers on the ground telling us hospitals are overwhelmed due to Israel's complete siege on Gaza and the ongoing bombardment with air and artillery strikes. We have seen appalling loss of civilian life on the streets of Gaza, over 11,000 civilians, including 4,000 children. We are seeing unforgivable attacks on hospitals, the loss of life of newborn babies in incubators, older people on life support and oxygen, those on dialysis and women in labour. Our thoughts are with all of those unforgivably and appallingly affected.

Of course, our thoughts are also with Irish citizens caught up in this conflict. Our thoughts are with Irish citizens in Gaza, people like Zak and Batoul Hania, trapped with their children in Gaza, who have spoken so movingly on our media. They lived in Castleknock in Dublin for many years. We are all thinking of Emily Hand and her family since her horrific abduction by Hamas in the brutal attack on civilians on 7 October.

I welcome the Taoiseach's confirmation that the Government has ongoing engagement with Cairo and Tel Aviv. He confirmed that to me last week in the House. I know the Government is seeking the urgent release of all those with connections to Ireland. It is of utmost importance that those efforts continue and we all support that. However, to date those efforts have not been enough. Irish citizens remain trapped in Gaza. We are all utterly despondent at what is happening with the continued holding of hostages by Hamas and Israel's ongoing bombardment. We are also distressed at the spillover of violence into the West Bank and neighbouring countries.

That is why it has been so welcome to see the Government calling for an immediate ceasefire. All of us in opposition share this view because in this country we know all too well that talking and a political resolution cannot start until the bullets stop and we have a ceasefire. To date, the exhortations to the Israeli Government to stop the killing and to stop breaching international law appear to have been in vain. It would appear that in the Israeli administration and Netanyahu government there is no willingness to listen, even to intimations from the US administration that Israel has crossed a line for it. Clearly, further action needs to be taken by all of us.

We are increasingly seeing other countries severing diplomatic relations with Israel over its heinous breaches of international law and the genocidal actions we are seeing with the carpet bombing of Gaza. South Africa and Bolivia have ended relations with Israel. Many more countries, including Colombia and Chile, have recalled ambassadors and embassy staff. This week, several Opposition motions before the Oireachtas propose using the diplomatic tools available to us, just as Ireland did with apartheid South Africa. It is incumbent on the Government to reflect on how Ireland should proceed and whether the Israeli ambassador's position remains tenable in light of the rising death toll in Gaza and the evidence we are hearing from aid workers and others. Will the Government support an escalation of our diplomatic protest against the actions of the Israeli Government by removing diplomatic status from the ambassador and ensuring breaches of international law by Israel and Hamas are investigated and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, ICC?

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