Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)

I welcome the families of the brave Irish citizens on board the flotilla, who are in the Gallery today. I cannot imagine how proud they must be, and how scared they must be for their safety. We are all here today united in our demands that the genocide in Gaza must end, that the blockade must be lifted, that aid should be allowed to flow freely, and that no harm should be done to those on board the Global Sumud Flotilla.

On Saturday, 42 boats and 532 citizens set out to do what governments all over the world should have done. Every person on board those boats, including Senator Chris Andrews and Deputy Barry Heneghan, are there with the understanding that their lives are at risk, knowing that there is little Israel will not do to retain its stranglehold on Gaza. They are onboard regardless, carrying food for a starving nation gripped by famine.

They are also carrying medical supplies for the over 168,000 injured and, perhaps most importantly of all, they are carrying hope for the Palestinian people and for all of us around the world who have felt so helpless watching an unchecked genocide happen before our eyes. If the flotilla succeeds and they reach the Palestinian people, that moment would be one of utter strength and humanity. It would puncture the feeling of powerlessness that has gripped so many of us. It would be all too clear that ending this conflict is possible. That is why Israel is fearful of the flotilla. Israel sees peaceful acts of resistance as a threat. All oppressors do.

The flotilla is currently around 210 miles from the coast of Gaza and only 60 miles out from the so-called "orange line" beyond which Israel has been known to intercept boats and kidnap those onboard in complete violation of international law. This, therefore, is the crucial moment where those on board need our help. They need the eyes of Ireland and the world on the flotilla because witness is protection.

This is not just about the safety of those aboard the boats. It is about the over 66,000 dead and the destruction of a country and a people. It is about our collective humanity and the integrity of international law in the face of a genocide. I appeal to the Government to use every possible means we have to act in support of the flotilla, to engage with the Italian and Spanish Governments, whose navies are currently providing protection from illegal drone strikes, to urgently send a humanitarian mission in case of risk of injury to Irish citizens, to work with other countries to arrange an urgent observer mission, to ensure international pressure is brought down on Israel to let the flotilla proceed safely and to work as hard as we can to provide hope and support to the Palestinian people.

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