logo
Tánaiste among 25 foreign ministers calling for Gaza ceasefire, as denial of aid deemed 'unacceptable'

Tánaiste among 25 foreign ministers calling for Gaza ceasefire, as denial of aid deemed 'unacceptable'

The Journal5 days ago
THE TÁNAISTE HAS joined the foreign ministers of 24 countries in calling for an end to the war in Gaza, as they say the suffering of civilians 'has reached new depths'.
They have condemned the 'drip feeding' of aid and the 'inhumane killing of civilians,' and urged Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
In the letter released today, foreign ministers reiterated calls for the unconditional release of hostages being held by Hamas since 7 October, arguing that a ceasefire has the 'best hope' of bringing them home.
Tánaiste Simon Harris signed the letter alongside the foreign ministers for Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
Deaths of people waiting for handouts in huge crowds near food points in Gaza have become a regular occurrence, with the territory's authorities frequently blaming Israeli fire.
Israel must immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and other organisations to do their life saving work safely and effectively. Hamas must release all hostages immediately.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD)
July 21, 2025
The foreign ministers said today that Israel's aid delivery model is 'dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity'.
Advertisement
'It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid. The Israeli Government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,' the letter says.
The ministers hit out at Israel's efforts to impose the E1 settlement plan announced by Israel which, if implemented, would divide a Palestinian state in two – 'a flagrant breach of international law'.
They noted that settlement building across the West Bank including East Jerusalem has accelerated while settler violence against Palestinians has increased.
'Proposals to remove the Palestinian population into a 'humanitarian city' are completely unacceptable. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law,' they said.
'We strongly oppose any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.'
Trade with Israel
Meanwhile, the European Union this month agreed to work with the Netanyahu government to increase the level of aid in Gaza.
However, European leaders
couldn't agree on
whether to put an end to trading with Israel.
A third of Israel's imports come from the EU, valued at over €23bn annually, while Europe imports less than 1% of its goods from Israel.
Suspending trade ties would require a unanimous decision, which is likely impossible as countries like Austria, Germany and Hungary, that tend to more supportive of Israel's government.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip leave at least 25 dead, health officials say
Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip leave at least 25 dead, health officials say

Irish Examiner

time42 minutes ago

  • Irish Examiner

Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip leave at least 25 dead, health officials say

At least 25 people were killed by Israeli air strikes and gunshots overnight, according to health officials and the ambulance service on Saturday, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Palestinians in Gaza face famine. The majority of victims were killed by gunfire as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were brought. The Israeli army did not respond to requests for comments about the latest shootings. Those killed in the strikes include four people in an apartment building in Gaza City among others, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the US and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday, throwing the future of the talks into further uncertainty. Palestinians mourn during the funeral of people who were killed while trying to reach aid trucks (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/PA) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday his government was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with Hamas. His comments came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the US, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when. The United Nations (UN) and experts have said that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. While Israel's army says it is allowing aid into the enclave with no limit on the number of trucks that can enter, the UN says it is hampered by Israeli military restrictions on its movements and incidents of criminal looting. The Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 80 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the same crossing. The Israeli military said at the time its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat and that it was aware of some casualties. Marwa Barakat (centre) mourns during the funeral of her son Fahd Abu Hajeb (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP/PA) Israel is facing increased international pressure to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticising Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food. For the first time in months Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote in a newspaper article on Saturday that the UK was 'working urgently' with Jordan to get British aid into Gaza. Aid group the World Central Kitchen said on Friday it was resuming limited cooking operations in Deir al-Balah after being forced to halt due to a lack of food supplies. It said it is trying to serve 60,000 meals daily through its field kitchen and partner community kitchens, less than half of what it has cooked over the previous month.

Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people
Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people

RTÉ News​

timean hour ago

  • RTÉ News​

Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 11 people

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli operations have killed 11 people in the Palestinian territory devastated by over 21 months of war. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the toll included four Palestinians killed in an air strike on the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City in the territory's north. One other person was killed "after Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for humanitarian aid" northwest of Gaza City, the agency said. Eyewitnesses said that several thousand people had gathered in the area to wait for aid. One of them, Abu Samir Hamoudeh, 42, said the Israeli military opened fire "while the people were waiting to approach the distribution point", located near an Israeli military post in the Zikim area, northwest of Sudaniyah. Another man was killed by a drone strike near the southern city of Khan Younis, while one was killed by artillery fire in the Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, the civil defence said. The Israeli military said it was looking into the matter. In a separate statement, the military said it was continuing its operations in Gaza, adding that it killed members of a "terrorist cell" which it accused of planting an explosive device targeting soldiers. It added that over the past day the air force had "struck over 100 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip". Mr Bassal also said that civil defence teams recovered the bodies of 12 people in the area of the Morag Corridor north of Rafah following Israeli bombardment the previous night. The recovery operation was conducted in coordination with the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), he said, adding that the bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7 October 2023. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Starmer rejects calls for Palestinian statehood as Trump kicks off UK visit
Starmer rejects calls for Palestinian statehood as Trump kicks off UK visit

The Journal

time2 hours ago

  • The Journal

Starmer rejects calls for Palestinian statehood as Trump kicks off UK visit

KEIR STARMER HAS rejected calls from MPs to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, as US President Donald Trump arrived in the UK amid the continued desperate situation in Gaza. Some 221 MPs have signed a letter urging the British Government to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the UN next week. The UK would follow in the footsteps of France if it did, though Trump claimed French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement was 'not going to change anything' ahead of his arrival in the UK yesterday. Sarah Champion, a senior Labour MP who co-ordinated the cross-party letter, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. While the PM said he was 'unequivocal' about wanting to see a Palestinian state, he insisted this needed to be part of a 'wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis'. The UK and its allies must work together to broker a peace, he added, likening the effort to the coalition of the willing to support Ukraine. Keir is expected to meet Trump on Monday, as the US president stays in Scotland ahead of a full state visit later this year. On Friday evening, amid mounting global anger over the starving population in Gaza, the Prime Minister also suggested the UK will play a role in dropping aid into Gaza by air. Advertisement He welcomed that Israel said it would allow aid to be delivered by parachute to alleviate starvation in Gaza. The Prime Minister said the step had 'come far too late', but he insisted the UK will 'do everything we can to get aid in via this route'. Britain is already working alongside Jordan to get aid onto planes, the PM signalled, also adding that children from Gaza in need of specialist medical care will be evacuated to the UK for treatment. In a video statement released on Friday, Starmer made plain his desire for a ceasefire. He said: 'I know the British people are sickened by what is happening. The images of starvation and desperation are utterly horrifying. 'The denial of aid to children and babies is completely unjustifiable, just as the continued captivity of hostages is completely unjustifiable.' Meanwhile, in a statement released alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's Mr Macron, the Prime Minister urged Israel to stop restricting the flow of aid into Gaza. A call between the three leaders was expected on Friday, but has been postponed until the weekend. US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as negotiations on a lasting truce took place.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store