Dessie Ellis (Dublin North-West, Sinn Fein)

With the slaughter that is now taking place in Gaza, it is easy to forget about the five successive wars that took place in Gaza between 2009 and 2022. The Israeli political and military establishment has long held a disdain and contempt for the Gaza Strip and always had an eye to taking it over and ethnically cleansing the area of its Palestinian population. These previous wars resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children. The number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the previous wars in Gaza pales in comparison to the wholesale slaughter that is now being carried out on the civilian population by the IDF in this current war, which began on 7 October after an attack by Hamas on communities and settlements bordering the Gaza Strip.

Israel's war on Gaza has been ongoing since the 1948 Nakba and even before then. The ultimate goal of Israel has always been to eradicate the Palestinian presence from Palestine. The Gaza Strip is only 25 miles long and from 3.7 miles to 7.5 miles wide. Over 2 million people are squeezed into this densely packed territory. In this tiny area, Israel has systematically wiped out homes, hospitals, religious sites, educational facilities, transport infrastructure and every other type of facility or structure required for the proper governance of a country. Israel has also deliberately created conditions for mass starvation and disease. It is clear the objective of Israel in this war is to make Gaza uninhabitable.

This effort at depopulation also applies to the West Bank, where the construction of illegal settlements has accelerated under the government of Netanyahu, whose cabinet includes far-right settlers. Settlers emboldened by the IDF have increased their attacks on local Palestinian communities, ransacking villages, killing residents and destroying farmland. Since 7 October, there have been more than 2,400 settler attacks on Palestinian properties, resulting in the displacement of thousands of people. Israel is clearly of the view it can operate outside the norms of humanity with impunity. This deliberate blocking of food, water and aid to a starving population is a cruel collective punishment of the Palestinian people and a clear indication of Israel's contempt for humanity.

I extend best wishes to those on the flotilla bringing aid to Gaza, including Senator Chris Andrews and a local Finglas man, Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais, or "Dougie", as we know him. We wish them all the best and safe passage but - my God - they are up against it.

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