Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)

What we are witnessing in Gaza is an humanitarian disaster. Thousands of people have been killed. Thousands more are missing under the debris and rubble and more than 1.5 million face starvation.

Entire neighbourhoods have been obliterated. Children are dying of hunger. Hospitals, schools and refugee camps have been bombed, and still the world hesitates.

I condemn the atrocities carried out by Hamas on 7 October. The killing of civilians and taking of hostages are crimes, but we cannot allow this condemnation to be used as a cover-up for what is happening right now. This is not self-defence. This is collective punishment that is targeted destruction of civilian life on a massive scale. These are war crimes. This is a genocide and the blockade must end immediately.

Ireland cannot and must not turn away. Neither should the European Union. This is why the European Commission's recent announcement to review the agreement is not only welcome but is long overdue. A growing number of member states, including Spain and Slovenia, are joining Ireland in demanding action. There is now clear momentum across Europe for an economic response to what is unfolding in Gaza. Let us be honest that diplomatic statements are no longer enough. The EU has real leverage. Trade and access are not just policy tools but they are instruments of accountability. The continued provision of economic benefits while war crimes are being committed is indefensible. Ireland cannot wait for a consensus to find its voice. We must lead. We must speak plainly. We must act with the same urgency we would demand if this suffering were happening elsewhere, because if we say we believe in human rights, now is the time to prove it.

The programme for Government committed to progressing legislation that would ban goods from the occupied territories and a direct response to international law and the International Court of Justice's opinion. That includes the occupied territories Bill. I have raised this multiple times. We need to take a stand. It might just lead to momentum and it can start there.

I would like to speak briefly about a young man who I met in my constituency, Amir, and his host, Marina. Amir is a Palestinian refugee from Gaza. I have met him multiple times and he has told me about everything he has faced, but he still has hope in his heart. His heart is heavy. His family remains in Gaza. His father has been displaced by war. His mother has public health qualifications. His sister is studying medicine, while under fire, and a younger sister is still in school in Gaza. This family has strength, education and resilience but they are separated. I have asked the Tánaiste to really look into this case for family reunification and I would like to raise it again please.

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