Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

The situation in the Middle East, specifically in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territories, is beyond tragic; it is catastrophic. Ireland must speak with moral clarity and courage. As I have said before, and as many people in this House have said, what is happening is clearly genocide.

Ireland has long supported the two-state solution and advocated for peace but peace without justice is not peace at all. What we are witnessing today is the collapse of humanitarian protections. Gaza has become a place where children go hungry, hospitals are bombed and families are being deliberately targeted and murdered. This cannot go unchallenged.

More than 400 people have been killed and over 3,000 injured while trying to access food at militarised distribution centres. Aid is barely trickling in. The UN has rightly called it a teaspoon of aid where a flood is needed. The decision by Israel to take control of humanitarian aid through private contractors is weaponised hunger. We also cannot ignore the findings from the EU review of the EU-Israel association agreement. The conclusion is clear: Israel is in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2. We now need to act on that. The occupied territories Bill is a welcome step forward but if we are to make real progress and meaningful differences, the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement must be prioritised. That is the most effective economic lever we have, and Ireland has been and is at the fore of pushing for it across the European Union.

Beyond the policy level, we are seeing extraordinary solidarity here at home. In Kildare and across Ireland, families are contacting me daily asking how they can help families in Gaza. Irish people are in WhatsApp groups with families in Rafah and throughout Gaza and the West Bank. They are co-ordinating donations and desperately trying to bring Palestinians here to safety, particularly those with acute medical needs, but the barriers are immense. Applying for asylum through the normal processes is next to impossible for those in Gaza. Internet access is patchy or non-existent, documents are destroyed or unobtainable, and travel outside of the Gaza Strip is almost impossible. Yet, these families continue to try. They do not want to be forgotten.

Ireland must respond with compassion and leadership. Today, I call for the creation of a special scheme for Palestinians seeking refuge here in Ireland.

This should be akin to what we provided for Ukrainians, namely, a humanitarian route grounded in urgency, dignity and practicality. We cannot ask people trapped under bombardment to wait months for paperwork that they cannot even access. This scheme would allow Irish families who are willing to sponsor and support Palestinians to do so legally and securely.

Ireland has a proud record of humanitarian responses, but now is the time for a bolder and more tailored approach. Gaza is not just facing a humanitarian crisis. It is facing annihilation. Ceasefires must hold, hostages must be released and aid must flow.

Beyond the emergency, we need to ask ourselves what role can we play in ensuring this never happens again. It starts with consequences. The EU-Israel trade agreement should be suspended until full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law is restored. Words alone are not enough. It is action that gives meaning to our principles. I would go as far as to say that a mere suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement is not enough. A review of any possible reapplication of it should be considered very seriously in light of what we have seen, not just over past two years, but over the past number of decades.

I commend the work of our diplomats, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister of State, Thomas Byrne, and our civil servants who continue to work through international channels, often quietly and diligently, to help families, build pressure and support peace-building efforts, but we need to go further now. Our voice matters. In terms of how pushing for suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement and the recognition of the Palestinian state, Ireland, Spain and a few others have stood out for a long time. Through those diplomatic relations, we have been able to bring other countries along with us and let them see our perspective. More countries in Europe now have their eyes far more open to what is happening. It has taken far too long but it shows that diplomacy - working with other countries, trying to bring them along and not just being an outcast standing on our own - works. How we make a real, thorough impact is by hitting Israel where it hurts, and that is through the EU-Israel trade agreement. That is the strongest tool we have at this moment.

Let Ireland continue to lead as it has, not only with words, but with our actions, our heart and our hope. What we did when the war broke out in Ukraine in allowing Ukrainian refugees to come here with special protections we need to consider for the people of Palestine. Not everybody from Palestine will want to leave as refugees but for those who do, we should be in a position to allow them. Trying to get visa documents and trying to get online is quite difficult, so we should be looking at ways to care for them and help them to come here if they so wish.

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