Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I think the latter issue will come up in a later question. I will respond on the question as tabled. As Deputies will recall, South Africa initiated its case against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice by filing an application with the court on 29 December 2023. South Africa also sought a number of provisional measures pending the outcome of the case. A contentious case before the ICJ proceeds by way of an exchange of written pleadings, beginning with the filing of a detailed memorial by the applicant state, before oral hearings can take place. On 5 April, the court made an order setting time limits for the filing of written pleadings by the parties in this case. It fixed 28 October 2024 for South Africa to file its memorial and 28 July 2025 for Israel to file its counter-memorial. As I have made clear in response to a number of questions on this issue, Ireland intends to file a declaration of intervention in this case under Article 63 of the statute of the court after South Africa has filed its memorial. That is absolutely in line with what happened in respect of Ukraine. We expect that a month or two after the South African memorial is submitted that we will file our intervention.

On the conflict in Gaza more broadly, the current situation in Rafah is extremely concerning. One and a half million people are currently sheltering there. Most are already displaced from elsewhere in Gaza and in desperate conditions. I visited the Rafah crossing in late April and saw the terrible circumstances there myself. The international community has repeatedly made it very clear that an Israeli military operation in Rafah will inevitably lead to disastrous humanitarian consequences and the deaths of large numbers of innocent civilians. This operation must stop. Protection of civilians is an obligation under international humanitarian law and these people have nowhere safe to go. Further Israeli military strikes will take a catastrophic humanitarian toll.

Ireland was one of the first countries to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and I renew that call today. We need the violence to stop, a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid and the unconditional release of all hostages. Israel has clear obligations under international law and these must be fulfilled. Israel must facilitate full, safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza.

I also condemn the Hamas attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing over the weekend, which resulted in the death of four Israeli soldiers. This has resulted in the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is vital for the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

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