Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Every 40 minutes, a child is killed in Gaza. Before their childhood even begins, it is over. By the time we finish discussing this motion, at least three children will have been killed in Gaza. This is the cold, unrelenting truth we must face. It is more than a war; it is a war on childhood and on the children of Gaza because every war, no matter the context or the reason, is a war on children. Israel is operating a scorched-earth policy on Gaza, destroying every trace of Palestine. Gaza's health infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. At least 94% of all hospitals in the Gaza Strip are damaged or destroyed according to the World Health Organization. Only 19 of Gaza's 36 hospitals remain operational. Many of these hospitals are now only able to provide very basic emergency care. We have all heard stories of doctors having to treat the injured on floors or in makeshift tents. During the week, I listened to Dr. Samer Attar, an American doctor, who volunteered in Gaza. He spoke about the horrific death of two young boys, brothers, who died a painful and terrible death due to the lack of something as basic as a blood transfusion. That is the reality in Gaza as we speak in this Chamber, the reality of the lack of the most basic medical supplies. Israel now wants to control aid going into Gaza through its own branded operation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This has been roundly condemned by many aid organisations and countries. Indeed, the foundation's own CEO resigned before it became operational. What we saw yesterday was the effect of this drip-feed of aid on the starving population - desperate, starving Palestinians rushing for food for themselves and their families. No one can know how much aid is actually getting into Gaza now, with humanitarian organisations reporting that at least 500 to 600 trucks of aid are needed at a minimum. It now seems that humanitarian aid is a weapon for Israel to wield. Some 71,000 children and 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza are in dire need of treatment. There is a gross contrast between an entire population being starved or on the brink of famine while just a few miles away people in Israel are eating in restaurants. The UN Security Council has utterly failed in its duty to protect the innocent civilians in Gaza from the Israeli war machine. We are here because the UN has failed more than 15,000 children who have been killed and the many more are likely to be killed or wounded in the coming days, weeks or perhaps months. This is where Ireland stands out among EU members and says "no more". We have also seen a group of independent human rights experts calling on the UN Security Council to address the Israeli assault on the innocent civilians of Gaza. We need to end the genocide being committed by Israel. We need a ceasefire and lasting peace in Palestine. We must act for Palestine. We must act for peace.

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