Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)

What everyone has said today is completely true. We are witnessing one of the darkest moments in modern history. In Gaza, the population is being bombed, starved, displaced and deprived of the most basic human rights.

When I met a young man who lives in my constituency whose parents are still in Gaza, I could not look him in the eye and say I am not doing everything I can to help him and his family. Ireland cannot be one of the silent countries.

Let us speak clearly. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This is not a political slogan. It is the conclusion of respected international legal bodies and the position of the Government, human rights organisations and aid workers on the ground. More than 54,000 people have been killed and thousands of others injured, most of whom are men and children. Thousands of families have been completely wiped out. It includes medical staff, journalists and UN workers. In absolutely horrific scenes that we see on our phones, hundreds of Palestinians are being shot at while trying to get aid. They were not armed. They did not pose any threat. They were just trying to survive like our ancestors tried to do. In two separate incidents, Israeli forces opened fire on civilians gathered at aid trucks. Many of the victims were shot in the back. This is not war. It is absolutely horrific. We need to do everything we can to be on the right side of history.

The horror continues at every level. Just days ago, a flotilla carrying food, medicine and baby formula was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters - another breach of law. The Israeli State has been continually breaching laws and nothing is being done. This is ridiculous. We have all seen the images of children dying of hunger and infants skeletal from starvation being brought into crumbling hospitals by mothers who can do no more. Gazan children are being starved to death in full view. We have said it is genocide, but why are we not doing everything we can to stop it?

I commend the Irish Government on doing what it has done so far. It has been leading the push to review the EU-Israel trade agreement but we need to do more. We are blatantly ignoring it. Our voice matters. Our voice has always been a voice for peace. We did it before with apartheid South Africa. Let us lead the charge again. We must push the EU to follow the UK's example. In recent days, the UK Government sanctioned two Israeli ministers. We need to do that now. It also sanctioned a leading figure of a settlement movement. There are senior members of the Israeli Government we need to sanction.

The main point is that our Central Bank is facilitating the sale of bonds that are war bonds. This is not about diplomatic language. It is about technicalities. It is about the decency of us doing the right thing.

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