Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for being here for this important debate. An ounce of action is worth a tonne of talk and no amount of talking, emotion or wishing things to be otherwise is going to change anything in Gaza. The horrors defy description. They defy our words. It truly is a failure of humanity in its rawest form. To think about it is to think of a post-apocalyptic environment. We all share the disgust and horror. I, of course, commend the Government, the Opposition and everybody in our country who has used their time, energy and resources to try to champion a solution. It is soul destroying to see the continued action in Gaza to destroy human life in every sense.It is truly unbearable to think about.

I thank the other Seanadóirí for supporting this motion and the Government for accepting it. I encourage the Minister of State to go back to the Government and ensure that it continues to use every resource available to the State to champion a solution, a ceasefire, a release of the hostages and provision of humanitarian aid. Do not be distracted by the cheap politics of others. Do not be distracted by others who will criticise, undermine and seek to besmirch or devalue the Government's efforts. The Minister of State does not have a magic wand but she does have the authority to act on behalf of the people of Ireland. As the Government has been doing, I urge it to continue to do that. While we are a small island and while we are a small nation and our actions are wholly inadequate and cannot bring an end to the horror in Gaza, we do have influence and it is working. Our influence is most effective when we influence our European and international partners. We must keep going. We must take courage and resolve from the courage of the people in Gaza. More than two million people, most of them very young, women and children and men are being pummelled in every way. I thank the Minister of State for her time and I thank her for accepting our motion.