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

I have listened to the Minister of State and, earlier, the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, saying "This needs to stop", while simultaneously taking no actions to actually help it stop, when the actions in our motion are to match the words they are saying. Today, 650 patients and up to 7,000 civilians are trapped inside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Among them are 36 premature babies who have been removed from their incubators because the hospital ran out of fuel. Elsewhere in the hospital, the bodies of more than 100 patients are decomposing. Israel's blockade means there is no electricity for incubators or the morgue. Israel's cruelty targets Palestinians at the moment of their birth and even after their death. Because the morgue is no longer functional, medics began digging a mass grave outside the hospital yesterday, all while under unrelenting fire from the Israeli military. Early this morning, Israeli soldiers breached the hospital grounds. Such a blatant attack on a hospital, medics, patients and civilians is beyond comprehension. That Israel is doing it unapologetically with the full support of the United States and many western leaders is shocking.

Yesterday, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described Israel as a country that is bound by human rights and international law and acts accordingly. What a despicable statement. There was absolutely no empathy or sympathy for the over 11,000 civilians dead, more than 5,000 of them children, with countless others buried alive and slowly dying under the rubble. Some 1.6 million have been made homeless, while food, fuel, fresh water and medical supplies are nearly exhausted and the German Chancellor claims Israel is adhering to international law. At what point will these people wake up and acknowledge the scale of Israel's crimes in Gaza?

Irish people and people in countries all over the world who have marched for peace in Gaza in their millions are not fooled by this propaganda. They can see it for what it is, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and in flagrant breach of international law. Earlier, the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, referred to what is going on in Gaza as a humanitarian catastrophe. I agree. He then said that if the Government were to endorse our motion, Ireland would be pushed to the margins of international opinion. Given the opinions of the majority of western leaders, I am happy for Ireland to be an outlier.

The Government says it shares the disgust and revulsion of the Opposition at what is happening in Gaza and I do not doubt that. However, it said that its approach differs from ours. What is that approach? Does it involve words, strong rhetoric or an appeal for a two-state solution while one state lays waste to another? Irish Ministers can do more than make speeches. They can act. As a member of the EU, Ireland has power and a platform. We can lobby hard at EU level for economic sanctions. Many MEPs have already expressed a desire for the EU-Israel trade agreement to be reviewed. Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister has said the deal should be suspended. Why do our Ministers and Taoiseach not say the same? Why not take an action that would impose real consequences on Israel for its cruelty? What is the Government afraid of? In this country, we believe that Israel's refusal to consider an end to the slaughter is unacceptable. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has said Israel is waging a war on children. It is impossible to maintain normal diplomatic relations with a country that is indiscriminately murdering children in their thousands. The Government can act and if it were to do so, it would have the support of the Irish people who demand the Government act in the face of an impending genocide.

The swell of support for Gaza has been overwhelming. Every week, there are marches all across the country where people from all walks of life come out in their thousands to demand a ceasefire. People can march and lobby politicians and they are doing so. It is up to us in this House and in the EU to act. I ask the Minister of State to do so.

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