Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

I did not get the opportunity to speak yesterday so, first, I wish to acknowledge the humanitarian work being done by the volunteers on the flotilla, trying to get food and medicine directly to the people of Gaza in the face of starvation, violence and ongoing oppression from the Israeli state. I acknowledge that many of those participating are Irish citizens, as others have said, including our own Senator Chris Andrews and Deputy Barry Heneghan, whom I was honoured to be asked to facilitate by means of providing a vote-pairing arrangement. I wish them the best in their ongoing voyage of hope.

I share others' concerns about what the Israeli state will attempt to do and urge sympathetic elements within that Government and civic society to ensure that the welfare and safety of those seeking to provide humanitarian assistance in a peaceful way is preserved. Obviously, the Israelis like to intimidate. I do not think they would be stupid enough to actually do any real damage, but it is horrific to be subjected to that type of intimidation in the first place, and there is always the risk of something going wrong.

We have the proposal from President Trump, his peace plan. Like others, I can see many flaws in that plan. It is an imposed solution that does not take on board the voice of the Palestinian people, nor, in my view, does it open up any real pathway to self-determination. It does open that chink, but Netanyahu has been trying to close it off. If it is not accepted by Hamas - and we do not know that yet; the signs are not encouraging - it would still in no way justify any renewed attacks by the Israeli state. The genocide has been going on for a considerable time now. You would sometimes wonder what is left to attack, but even though Gaza has been razed to the ground, there are still so many lives at stake.

In that context only, I can see why many people would grudgingly support the plan, I suppose because there is nothing else out there, as a means of immediately halting the ongoing genocide and subjugation of the civilian population. If it is the only deal on the table right now, and while the world is slowly moving to condemn and isolate Netanyahu and his ilk, but too slowly, by recognising a two-state solution we have seen some progress from European partners. Some have come out condemning the genocide, but this pace is glacial. In a sense, it is to Netanyahu's advantage and it is propped up by the US Administration. In that context only, as to what is on the table, I would urge Hamas - it is obviously not going to listen to Irish parliamentarians - if it truly loves its land and its people, to consider the plan seriously, allowing for the fact that there are other violent fundamentalist factions entrenched in the area that would ignore and fight on nonetheless. If Hamas did sign up and release the hostages, it is an imperfect plan but it is the only plan we have right now. I heard with interest my Dáil colleague Catherine Connolly's statement that Hamas is part of the fabric of the Palestinian people. I agree with her in that context - it is absolutely true - but Hamas needs to know, and it has been told in no uncertain terms, including by Arab states, that through its violent actions a number of years back, its adherence to blind ideology, its wish to see Israel obliterated from the map and, most importantly, its cruel and heartless treatment of ordinary Gazan civilians, it is not a credible voice in any future arrangement for Palestine that will allow its citizens to thrive. Yes, it might try to hold on to power, but if it truly loves its own people, it may see the writing on the wall.

There are other voices that need to come to the fore. The way Israel has treated innocent civilians has already, unfortunately, seeded the next generation of fundamentalists who hate Israel and, I would also say, Jewish people in general with intensity. However, there is still a chance for a solution to be found and it will require Europe, in particular, to step up.

For too long, out of guilt and other geopolitical factors, Europe been an apologist for Israeli atrocities in Gaza. I am talking about Europe as an entity and not individual countries like Spain and Ireland in particular. As an entity, Europe has been an apologist for the atrocities, the continued planting of the West Bank with illegal settlers and the perpetuation of a conflict that could have reached some form of uneasy but workable accommodation many years back.

Last week, I attended the Irish launch of an important book, Diary of Gaza Surgeons: A Witness to the Genocide, which tells the harrowing tale of medical professionals working on the front line. Judgment calls had to be made daily about who to try to save and who could not be saved, often in the face of ongoing bombardment and a massive lack of equipment. Many people died unnecessarily. Innovative surgeries were performed by physically and mentally drained medical volunteers using any tools available - even a chisel and a hammer to open a person's chest at one stage - to try to keep people alive. It is a heartbreaking testimony of life in the midst of relentless attacks, especially targeting women, children and the elderly. It is a historical book at this stage because it is from 2024 before the policy of mass starvation by the Israeli regime but it gives witness to so many different voices, not just Palestinian medical practitioners. They mention a letter sent by 99 American physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, nurses and midwives to President Biden and Vice President Harris back in the day, which was avoided. They pointed out even then that virtually every child under the age of five had a cough and watery diarrhoea. There were cases of jaundice, hepatitis A infections and malnutrition. In 2024, it led to widespread spontaneous abortions, underweight newborns and an inability of new mothers to breastfeed. This left their newborns at high risk of death given the lack of access to potable water anywhere in Gaza. As those giving the testimony pointed out, many of those infants died. They watched malnourished mothers feed their underweight newborns infant formula made with poisonous water. We can never forget that the world abandoned these innocent women and babies. That was in 2024 and was followed by what happened in the first half of 2025. It is absolutely shocking.

As I mentioned before to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and various Ministers, Ireland has played an important role in putting pressure on our EU counterparts. We have done a lot. We need to proceed with the Occupied Territories Bill. If there is any chance of a fresh start, we need to support it and make sure Israel and Hamas support it as well. Regarding the Danish Presidency of the EU, there is the historic situation where Danish Jews were rescued during the Second World War and it feels a strong friendship bond with Israel. As with us and the US, friends should tell their friends the story like it is. Denmark as EU President needs to step up to the mark and be more forthright in calling out Israeli atrocities. Ireland has a role to play in this given our imminent EU Presidency. I congratulate all those taking part in the flotilla and commend the Government on the work it has done to date. We still need to do more because this is literally a life and death situation every single minute.

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