Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)

I have only two minutes so I hope I will pick my words effectively and usefully. Since dawn this morning, 43 Palestinian people have been killed by Israeli attacks. On Monday, 74 people were killed, 30 of them at a seaside café used by journalists, activists and local residents. More than 600 starving Palestinians have been killed like moving targets at a fairground. Some 4,186 were injured while waiting for food at the obscenely titled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

We are offering our few words today. Doctors Without Borders has told us that the aid distribution sites are "slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid". Before 7 October, there were 400 such sites across the Gaza Strip. That is down to four now. Under this abomination, Gaza has gone from 400 to four, with Philippe Lazzarini the Commissoner-General of UNRWA.

I am looking at the Tánaiste's 23-page speech. I see the narrative continues from the Government. Despite the good steps that have been taken, the narrative utterly fails to condemn Israel for the genocidal state it is. We talk as if history started on 7 October; it certainly did not. We condemn without hesitation what happened but no context or history are given at all. I read what the Tánaiste said, and if this is what we are talking about, we have no credibility left at all. He referred to "the conflict between Iran and Israel", as if Iran was not attacked in an unprovoked fashion by a genocidal Israeli Government. Our Government calls that a mutual conflict whereby the countries attacked each other. That is the type of narrative that makes me very angry and deals a terrible blow to our credibility as an independent sovereign state and a Republic with a duty to speak out. We have a duty to call out the abuse of power no matter where it is. At this stage, it is Israel and absolutely Israel.

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