The Tánaiste has emphasized that the “horrors, genocide, and famine in Gaza” must not be overlooked, as he expressed relief at the release of hostages in the Middle East, reports Breaking News.
Simon Harris described the release of prisoners and hostages by Israel and Hamas as “a glimmer of hope” for the region’s people, while announcing that Ireland will allocate an additional €6 million to aid groups in Gaza, such as Unicef and the World Food Programme.
“After the most horrific humanitarian catastrophe, a loss of life on a scale that is almost unimaginable – we finally see cause for hope: Hostages released, bombing stopped, aid beginning to flow into Gaza,” Mr Harris said, reports Breaking News.
He added: “I also today think of all of the hostages that have been released. I cannot imagine what they have endured for the last period of time, cannot imagine the fears and worries that their families have lived with – and today, their loved ones are reunited in the arms of their families and we think of them today,” reports Breaking News.
This latest funding increases Ireland’s aid to the Palestinian people since October 2023 to over €89 million, with more than €35 million committed for 2025, reports Breaking News.
Further announcements regarding Ireland’s aid commitments in the region are expected soon.
Speaking to journalists at Government Buildings in Dublin on Monday, Mr Harris said: “Ireland stands ready to do everything we can to help with the huge humanitarian effort which is now needed,” reports Breaking News.
However, he noted it is “highly unlikely at this stage” that Irish peacekeepers will be deployed to the region.
“It’s very clear that it’s a long way to go to the next steps on the peace plan. Ireland and our peacekeepers always stand ready to serve where there is peace, but at the moment what we’re simply seeing is a cessation of hostilities. So I think there’s a long way to go of being able to determine that,” reports Breaking News.
When asked if Ireland’s absence from a ceasefire summit in Egypt indicated a limited role in the region, the Tánaiste responded: “I don’t think so. I think the majority of European countries are not at the peace summit today. There’s a small number of European countries, a lot of Arab nations.
“We’ve worked extraordinarily hard on this. I’ve worked very closely with the Arab nations, as has Ireland,” reports Breaking News.
He added: “Ireland will continue to talk to everybody and anybody and help in every, in any way that we can. We have long-standing relationships with many, many countries in the region. We’re also a country that knows a lot about peace and about peace processes. Peace is never easy. There’s no such thing as a perfect peace plan – but the opposite to peace is the utter devastation and horrors that we’ve seen over the last number of years.”
Israel has repeatedly criticized Ireland’s stance on the Gaza conflict since October 2023, particularly over its recognition of Palestine and its proposal for an Occupied Territories Bill to restrict trade with illegal Israeli settlements, reports Breaking News.
The country also shut its embassy and recalled its ambassador from Dublin.
Asked about the future of Ireland’s relationship with Israel, Mr Harris said: “Ireland has kept bilateral relations with Israel. We took a decision to keep our Embassy in Tel Aviv – it was the Israeli decision to close their embassy in Ireland – but even they’ve kept an ambassador to Ireland. So diplomatic relations continue to exist between the countries – but this is about step by step. I mean what has happened – the horrors, the genocide, the famine in Gaza – none of that can be forgotten, none of that can be airbrushed. What has happened over the last number of years, the violation of international law. All of that is important and extremely significant,” reports Breaking News.
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