Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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It is 11.45 p.m. now and it is right and proper that we are discussing the situation in Gaza.

With our long-standing commitment to human rights and neutrality in global conflicts, Ireland is well positioned to play a constructive role in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We must now use whatever leverage we have in a diplomatic capacity on the international stage. We have a moral obligation to act on the genocide that is unfolding. We know all too well in Ireland the devastating impact an artificial famine on the scale seen in Gaza can have. Ireland still has not come close to its population of the 1840s, however, these Palestinians have nowhere to go; no coffin ships for them. They are trapped on a narrow strip of land to starve or die of thirst. It is impossible to know how many are dead. Most estimates agree on at least 50,000 people, though many are buried beneath the rubble of bombed-out buildings and Palestinian homes.

The programme for Government makes many commitments when it comes to Gaza. I suppose the acid test - whatever it is - will be whether it translates into something successful. Where stands the commitment to continue to work with partners in the region to advocate for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages and the surge of humanitarian aid? Israel killed 60 people in Gaza yesterday. It is shelling what are charitably being described as refugee camps. These small collections of sheet metal, plastic or tarpaulin offer little comfort when artillery shells and missiles rain down from the sky.

Aid workers are being shot dead and left at the side of the road. There has been no surge of aid or relief from the brutal starvation that has been imposed on the Gazans. The world watches as vital aid trucks pile up at the border and children starve just a few miles away from food. It is appalling. Ireland must push for a united European stance which ensures sustained humanitarian corridors into Gaza, specifically designed to allow aid convoys safe and unhindered passage.

Some of the commitments are admirable but risk becoming irrelevant. The Irish Government will seek to grow the international coalition of countries supporting a two-state solution through recognition of the State of Palestine. The Israeli defence minister is talking about building a concentration camp in southern Gaza on the ruins of the Gazans' own homes. Israeli forces continue to launch raids into the West Bank and seize hundreds of acres of land for their settlers to take over. My concern is that it will be too late to seek support for a two-state solution when there are no Palestinians left, bar those filling the graveyards or dying in their thousands on the sides of the roads. Children are being wiped out by a murderous Israeli military which is hell-bent on clearing Gaza of every Palestinian and which views hospitals, schools and people queuing up for food and bread as legitimate targets.

Netanyahu is using this opportunity to wipe out the Palestinians' future and erase any possibility of statehood. Israel is corralling people like cattle, using tank shells as crowd control weapons and machine-gunning people queuing for food and water. It is happening every day. Ambulance workers are being murdered and buried at the side of the road. The collective punishment of the Palestinian people and the genocide they are being forced to endure while the world watches on must end.

What can we do to make the killing stop and get the vital aid trucks through? We have to show leadership on this issue. There are great powers arrayed against us and we need to find a way to end this slaughter.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I genuinely and sincerely thank Deputy Crowe for tabling this very timely Topical Issue. Even though it is a late hour, it is the most appropriate opportunity to talk about a key aspect of a vicious and bloody conflict that has seized the Irish and global body politic for quite some time, particularly since the horrific events of 7 October, followed by the brutal and unacceptable response of the Israeli Government.

The latest statistics are even worse than the Deputy laid out. The humanitarian situation worsens daily with more than 57,000 reportedly killed and more than 134,000 - probably 135,000 by the time I sit down - injured.

After a total Israeli blockade from 2 March to 27 May, and only a trickle of aid in the last few weeks, my Government colleagues and I share the UN’s concerns that Israel’s new model for delivering aid into Gaza through private contractors, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is not in accordance with humanitarian principles.

Ireland stands ready and is more than standing ready. Ireland has acted, both in the form of our Government but also more collectively in this Parliament, not just to show our solidarity with the people of Palestine in Gaza, but also Jerusalem and the West Bank, which perhaps does not get the mention it deserves at times. Ireland has provided over €88 million in support to the people of Palestine since January 2023. In 2025, we have provided €22 million so far and a further €4 million will be provided this month. Our support this year includes €20 million in core funding to UNRWA, which brings Ireland’s support to UNRWA to €58 million since the beginning of 2023. I continue to urge our partners to increase their support to UNRWA and I welcome the EU’s payment of €52 million to UNRWA in June. I encourage the rapid payment of the balance of the EU’s 2025 funding, amounting to €30 million. Despite the expulsion of many international aid workers, there are still over 3,000 local staff working for UNRWA on the ground and providing vital humanitarian aid.

To respond to the Deputy’s specific questions and for the interest of the House, when he talks about the commitment in the programme for Government to work with partners, the Tánaiste met the Prime Minister of Qatar just last week and the Taoiseach has been in constant engagement with regional partners. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and I have attended countless meetings at EU, UN and multilateral levels to work with partners, including to see if we can partner with the United Arab Emirates to get an element of humanitarian surge. On the first day that humanitarian aid was let back into Gaza, just 91 trucks were let in and, of those, 60 came from the UAE. Ireland has had two trucks of aid stuck in Jordan for over 70 days at this point.

When I talk about aid, it is important to break down what we are talking about. We are talking about tarpaulin and ground sheets. We are not talking about anything advanced. It is simply a bit of shelter, food and medicine - the basic elements.

In relation to building a coalition, when Ireland proposed over a year ago the review of the EU-Israel association agreement by reviewing Article 2, based on human rights abuses, only two EU member states backed that, those being, Ireland and Spain. At the meeting I attended six weeks ago, that number was up to 19 member states and the review subsequently and obviously found vicious human rights abuses. Equally, regarding the coalition to build towards a two-state solution, there was to be a large conference co-organised by the French and the Saudis in New York at the start of last month. Unfortunately, the escalation of violence involving the Iranians led to its suspension. Consistently at an EU level, however, Ireland puts the case about why, over a year ago, Norway, Spain and Ireland recognised the State of Palestine and why we are encouraging and working with other EU partner member states to do likewise this year.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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My message is that we must use every lever at our disposal. I know Ireland is an outlier in relation to the occupied territories Bill, for example, but I respectfully believe that we must include services. Otherwise, it is tokenistic and only goes to soothe our own conscience. We need to turn off the tap of trade from the occupied territories and finally sanction Israel and its ministers for their actions. Then let us utilise our history and expertise in developmental aid and crisis aid that we in Ireland have built up over the decades, and get food and water to those children who are dying as we speak.

I know all of us in this House share the same fundamental commitment to human dignity, justice and the protection of innocent life. We all believe that everyone has a basic right to live free from violence, oppression and fear, but simply holding that belief is not enough. A moral imperative extends beyond statements of condemnation. It has to include delivering humanitarian aid and ensuring that the international institutions uphold their responsibilities. We must risk losing friends if that is what it takes to do the right thing.

My question is this: are we doing all we can on this issue? Are we doing enough? That is the question we are all trying to answer. We are here at 11.50 p.m. talking about Gaza but are we doing enough as a country and a people? Are we using the strong voice that we have on the international stage to say “No” and that enough is enough?

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I do not know. I do not think we are doing enough. I do not think any of us are doing enough because, ultimately, there will be scores of Palestinian children killed tonight. I think we accept that with heavy hearts, but I wonder what more we can do than what we are doing. It is important that we constantly have this debate. That is why I repeat my genuine gratitude to the Deputy for tabling this debate and giving us this opportunity to discuss what has been done and what more can be done.

The Deputy is right to talk about the moral imperative. There is also a legal imperative based on the ICJ. Ireland has acted on that and become a party to the case. The Deputy understandably mentioned the occupied territories Bill, which is with the committee at this point. I can confirm to the House that I have already had engagement with the Slovenian foreign minister and just last week with the Norwegian minister, who said that if we managed to pass legislation that sought to do what they wanted us to do in terms of the occupied territories Bill for goods and, indeed, services and if that was feasible, they would replicate that legislation. That is how we build the coalition the Deputy spoke of in his opening intervention.

I think about the review of the EU-Israel association agreement that Ireland secured, but it is now up to the EU to act. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, has raised this repeatedly at the General Affairs Council to make sure there is real action. We are looking at how other states have sanctioned Israeli ministers and at what options there are to also do that at an EU level.

I will conclude by referencing humanitarian aid, Ireland's track record and the work of bodies like Trócaire and many other aid agencies in Gaza over many years, aid programmes that are now suspended. We are at a very delicate time in global history, when far too many actors are cutting their overseas development aid. Against that, Ireland increased its overseas development aid budget. When the rest of the EU suspended funding to UNRWA, we increased our funding to UNRWA. Of course, we can do more, and we will absolutely do more for the people of Gaza.