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.

Sentiment score: -0.08

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?

Sentiment score: 0.06