Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The ongoing conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is gravely concerning – after almost five months of relentless violence and displacement, civilians in Gaza are living in conditions that no human being should have to endure.

Ireland has called for a humanitarian ceasefire since autumn of 2023. I will continue to focus my engagements on the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, as well as on the unconditional release of hostages and a sustained scale up in humanitarian assistance. I remain hopeful that ongoing intensive talks between Israel, US, Qatar and Egypt will lead to a ceasefire in the near future.

Ireland has engaged in several concrete initiatives regarding the conflict over recent weeks, which have been underpinned by our clear and principled position.

We welcomed the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, to Dublin in February. UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza, and in recent weeks I have consistently advocated for all partners to immediately disburse funding to UNRWA, in addition to committing Ireland to a further €20 million in core funding for the Agency.

The Taoiseach and Spanish Prime Minister last month wrote to EU Commission President von der Leyen calling for an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. We are looking forward to the Commission’s response. We are actively pursuing the matter in Brussels and we expect an update on progress by the European Council later this month.

Ultimately we need an urgent and comprehensive political track to end this brutal conflict. I am continuing intensive discussions with EU and regional partners on this issue and on how Ireland can play a useful role in this process.