Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

It is absolutely unacceptable that innocent people were abducted and have remained hostages for so long after 7 October. That was also an appalling, barbaric crime by Hamas, which needs, in my view, to stop the war and disband, because it has caused nothing but misery to its own people. The Israeli Government needs to stop what is happening right now. We need a ceasefire. We need a restoration of discussions towards a political pathway. Fundamentally, we need a massive surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. What is happening is incomprehensible. It is beyond any moral compass. I have consistently called for an international delegation, both political and journalists or media, to be allowed into Gaza to see the enormity of the destruction that has undoubtedly taken place. The world has to press to be allowed into Gaza to see what is going on.

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