Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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197. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if any response has been received from Israel to his diplomatic rebuke for the shooting by Israel at Irish soldiers participating in a UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon in May 2025. [33439/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As I have said previously, I condemn any endangerment of the safety of our peacekeepers in the execution of their mandated duties. The incident in Yaroun in May this year was unconscionable.

Upon my instruction, on 30 May, immediately after the incident in Yaroun, our Permanent Representation to the United Nations in New York expressed our grave concerns directly to the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations and, through them, to the Israeli Government. Furthermore, our Permanent Mission to the UN has requested that UNIFIL formally raise these concerns as a matter of urgency with the appropriate Israeli authorities.

Our concerns have been officially acknowledged by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, through the appropriate diplomatic channels. The Government has been clear to the Israeli authorities the deep and well-founded concerns regarding this incident and the safety and protection of our peacekeepers. These concerns are fully understood within the United Nations system more broadly.