Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

Today, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and I met Tom Fletcher, as did the Taoiseach and, I think, the President. Tom Fletcher is the humanitarian chief of the UN and he has just come back from Gaza. He is literally one of the few people you can speak to who has been on the ground in Gaza. As the Deputy correctly alluded to at the start, the fragility of the ceasefire is very real. It was good to be able to have a conversation with someone in charge of humanitarian aid in the United Nations who is now talking about getting to a point where up to 4,000 trucks per week can get in to Gaza. They are planning, as the Deputy says, to get that flood of aid going, which is some reason for encouragement and hope after such a bleak, horrific humanitarian crisis, a genocide and a famine. I welcome the ceasefire and the hostage release agreement, which is a significant moment of hope. I welcome the release of living hostages and that the process to return the remains of those who were killed has begun. In this first phase, preserving the ceasefire agreement and ensuring humanitarian aid enters Gaza at scale is a central focus of all of my engagement with international counterparts, including EU colleagues yesterday at the Foreign Affairs Council.

The Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid has resulted in famine and untold horror for people in Gaza. Ireland stands ready to assist in every practical way to achieve long term and sustainable peace and to alleviate human suffering. Last week, I announced an additional humanitarian package of €6 million for Palestine. This contribution brings Ireland’s support for the people of Palestine since October 2023 to more than €95 million and support in 2025 to over €35 million. The funding allocated last week provides money for the likes of UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organisation. This is an important and practical way in which we can help.

At EU level, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President Kaya Kallas, has been clear that the peace plan requires strong international backing to succeed and that the EU stands ready to do its part. The situation in Gaza and in the West Bank is being discussed at every level, and was at the centre of discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg yesterday. In my intervention at the meeting, I called for the EU to support the flooding of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Ireland will also continue its diplomatic efforts, stressing that the two-state solution must be at the centre of any sustainable peace deal.

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