Irish PM says Gaza is 'hell on earth'

Euronews

08-05-2025

Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz intends to declare a state of emergency on migration, Euronews confirmed on Thursday.
Government officials have told Euronews that Merz wants to declare a national emergency to step up the increased deportations of people attempting to enter Germany illegally via a safe EU country.
Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt want to invoke Article 72 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
This would mean that national law would apply to border protection and internal security with immediate effect.
However, Brussels would first have to decide on this.
Ambassadors of neighbouring countries are being briefed by the interior ministry about the move, the paper said.
But it is not immediately clear when the national emergency is set to begin.
Government sources told Euronews that the interior ministry is already making extensive preparations for the state of emergency.
On Wednesday, Dobrindt said he had instructed federal police to tighten border controls with the aim of turning back more irregular migrants, including those who intended to seek asylum.
'We will control the borders more strictly…will also lead to a higher number of rejections,' Dobrindt said less than a day after being sworn into office.
However, Dobrindt said that vulnerable people, including children and pregnant women, would not be turned back at the border.
Those plans attracted criticism from both Poland and Austria, and their legality has been questioned by some experts.
But it's widely considered that Merz declaring a state of emergency means he protects himself against legal challenges.
Martin has condemned what he described as Israel's weaponisation of basic life necessities, referring to the country's restriction on food and aid from entering the strip for almost two months. He told The Europe Conversation that this raises very significant issues for the European Union and the human rights laws which are central to the bloc's existence.
'In my view, this constitutes a war crime,' the Irish Prime Minister, who belongs to the Fianna Fáil party, said. 'And I don't say that easily.'
He argued that he is in favour of a resolution, and wants the release of the hostages, stating it is 'shocking to take people as hostages'. In November 2023, Martin visited a kibbutz where around 10% of the population was attacked during the 7 October attack by Hamas.
'I went to see, first hand, the impact of the horrific Hamas attack on Israel. I've condemned it from the outset when I went there to show empathy to people who have been attacked,' he said, adding that the hostages should have been released a long time ago.
He said however that the war waged in response has 'lost any moral compass in terms of its unacceptable impact on the civilian population and on children'.
'And in Ireland, there is this sadness now and horror and a sense of helplessness at what we see on our TV screens: young children in stretchers and hospitals, very badly injured. Many families being wiped out, kids being orphaned. From a humanity point of view, it's beyond comprehension.'
The Taoiseach denounced what he called Israel's 'doubling down' in terms of intensification of the war on the ground. 'I know that Israel would say, well, Hamas is in the hospitals and so forth. But children need basic access to medicine,' he said.
Martin met with Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday, discussing matters ranging from trade and support for Ukraine to the Middle East. During this meeting, the Taoiseach shared his concerns about the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
'I think the president heard clearly my perspective on it. And I think she understands where I'm coming from and where others are coming from,' Martin said.
'I anticipate that there will be a lot of thinking across Europe on this issue.' While he welcomed the European Union's announcement of the recent €1.6 billion financial support package for Palestinians, Martin noted that, when it comes to a response, he doesn't believe there is a consensus within the European Union.
'I acknowledge and I understand the different backgrounds of member states, and the historic background that has informed member states' approach to the Middle East,' he said.
'But there is an unacceptable level of death and destruction and displacement [in Gaza]. And it is, many people have said, going back to 2011, it's hell on earth.'
He argued that the EU has been quick to communicate its concerns to other countries around the world when they violate territorial integrity, adding that this is fundamental to the European Union and what it stands for.
Israel argued in the past that the restriction of aid is lawful and that Gaza still has enough available provisions.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar announced the closure of the Israeli embassy in Dublin in December last year due to what he described as the "extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government" which he characterised as "antisemitism".
Last month, Fine Gael - in coalition with Martin's Fianna Fáil - confirmed its delegates at the European People's Party's Valencia congress refused to put their names to a motion condemning Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel and calling for the release of remaining hostages, and defended the party's position. The Fine Gael delegation said it could not support the motion because it didn't mention 'the ongoing suffering of the people of Gaza", as reported.
Euronews has contacted the Israeli embassy in Brussels and the mission of Israel to the EU and NATO for a response.
The Netherlands is ramping up its pressure on Israel over its war on Hamas in Gaza in what appears to be a significant change in course for one of Israel's most loyal allies.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on Wednesday that Israel's ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid is in violation of international humanitarian law, and urged collective action from Brussels to review the EU-Israel trade deal.
"What we're doing here, is giving a very clear signal," Veldkamp said at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Warsaw.
"We've drawn our line in the sand because the situation in Gaza Strip is dismal, it's a catastrophic humanitarian situation," he added.
Ahead of the meeting, Veldkamp had written a letter to EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas urging a review of the EU-Israel trade deal, saying Israel is violating the association agreement.
In the letter, he wrote that Israel's intended system to control all aid distribution in Gaza does not comply with humanitarian principles of "neutrality, impartiality and independence."
The EU-Israel Association Agreement governs trade ties between the two partners 'shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.'
The Dutch government intends to veto any agreement extension pending an EU review into Israel's compliance with the pact, which came into force in 2000.
The EU is Israel's largest trading partner, and the Netherlands has previously led initiatives to block discussions on suspending the association agreement.
It is some of the strongest language yet from the Dutch government against its ally, which has so far avoided outright accusing Israel of violating international law.
The Dutch government had been on the receiving end of mounting pressure from local branches of international aid organisations to take a stronger stance against Israeli violence in Gaza.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof sat down with representatives of Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, Pax, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders last month, who had then expressed disappointment at the conversation's outcome.
"There is no red line for the government. They are holding onto the conviction that diplomatic pressure achieves more," Oxfam Novib director Michiel Servaes asid.
On Thursday, Schoof expressed support for Veldkamp's statements, saying they reflect government policy. He said Israel's announcement to expand its operations in Gaza and control the entire Strip was probably a factor that contributed to Veldkamp's decision to write to Kallas.
Still, the move was not without internal criticism. Geert Wilders of the hard-right PVV, the main coalition partner and the winner of the most recent national election, lashed out at Veldkamp on X, calling him a "weak minister".
Other foreign ministers present in Warsaw echoed Veldkamp's words.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said, "it's time for the European Union and the whole international community to wake up. Honestly, what we are seeing is an absolute shame. It's not acceptable.'
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said he had spent much time in the region in recent months, but his pleas to Israel to show restraint have been in vain.
'I have the feeling they're listening to no one. I fully understand they have pressure, and Hamas, and they still have hostages. But we have to be around to table to see how we can find solutions,' Bettel told reporters.
'We need to find a solution to that and not to give the impression to the Palestinians that at the end of the day, they won't exist anymore,' he said.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 59, of whom 24 are believed to be alive.
A subsequent Israeli offensive has to date killed 52,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
The Israeli military says 850 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.