Letters: In this hopeful month for children, slaughter in the Holy Lands sadly persists
Isn't it therefore a sobering thought that on the other side of the world in the Holy Lands, children are suffering unbearably.
Literal war is being waged on their unqualified right to joy, their absolute right to hope. The fear of bombardment and food shortages plagues the children of Palestine. The terror of missile strikes and other attacks plagues the children of Israel. The fear of further conflict plagues the children of Lebanon and Syria.
Isn't it a terrible irony that such conflict should occur in a region synonymous with the gentle phrase 'peace be with you'?
Isn't it a terrible irony that such terror should arise in the region where Jesus the peacemaker was born? And isn't it a terrible, terrible irony that such unbounded darkness should consume this hopeful month of May?
All children, regardless of identity, deserve peace. They deserve joy. They deserve hope.
I appreciate our Government's work to address this tragic situation.
Let us all hope that they and their partners will continue to work for peace and justice in the Holy Lands, so that children may have peace, joy and hope.
Tadhg Mulvey, Trim, Co Meath
More must be done to end the genocide of so many young in Gaza by the IDF
Why are our world leaders, with a few exceptions, standing shamefully aside when Israel is piling death, destruction and torturous hunger on innocent children in Gaza without purposeful condemnation and reaction?
The latest slaughter of nine of a doctor's children in Khan Younis is abominable. A doctor saving lives as her children are being destroyed because of the madness of men such as Israeli prim minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders.
We are very familiar with the slogan 'Free Palestine' but it is absolutely useless when genocide is at play.
We need to do better and 'Save the children of Gaza' for our own salvation.
Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18
How many more mothers must bury their children before cruelty is halted?
Gaza is currently witnessing a mass slaughter.
At the weekend, a paediatrician lost nine of her children in Israeli bombardment on civilian homes.
Each story we hear from the Palestinian enclave is harrowing. The air is filled with helplessness, hopelessness and desperation.
There can be nothing worse than seeing your children wrapped in white shrouds, ready for burial.
How many Palestinian mothers need to mourn their children before the international community halts this cruel contempt of humanity?
Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London
Let's hope women's Gaelic games will have no more international ignominy
Footage from last Saturday's Senior Camogie Championship games indicate the 'harmonious implementation' of the new rule change pertaining to player dress code.
Interestingly, Reuters, one of the world's largest news agencies, which had been following the 'clash of the skorts and the shorts' all along, carried immediate news of the outcome of last Thursday's Camogie Associations Special Congress, headlined: 'Ireland's Camogie Association votes to allow players to wear shorts.'
Such an international 'profile' potentially added a further shade of crimson to an already embarrassing situation that was entirely avoidable.
It should be acknowledged, once player intent became obvious, that the issue was addressed reasonably expeditiously and especially so in the context of the traditional and sedentary character of the GAA and its 'powers that be'.
Let's hope that the ongoing, snail-paced, integration process between the GAA, the Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) will not require another ignominious spectacle to get the process completed.
Michael Gannon, St Thomas Square, Kilkenny
It's only a matter of time before Trump backs down from his latest trade guff
US president Donald Trump has re-escalated his trade threats, targeting both imports from the entire European Union and hitting smartphone giant Apple, sending the global market into a state of turbulence after weeks of de-escalation had provided some reprieve.
Trump says he wants a 50pc tariff on EU goods from June 1. I am just wondering how long it will take him to back down if he does go ahead with these punitive tariffs.
When the Chinese stood up to Trump, it was noticeable how quickly he backed off. One could argue that Trump is flying this kite in order to manipulate the markets for his billionaire cronies before backing down.
John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
Celebrities should do themselves and everyone else a favour by staying out of politics
It seems to me that far from being annoyed by 'celebrities' endorsing his opponents, Donald Trump should invite them to the White House for helping his re-election.
I can't think of anything more likely to turn people off than being lectured and talked down to by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bono and the usual suspects from Hollywood.
One would have to ask why was Bono interfering in the internal affairs of another country anyway?
Of course we get the usual appeals to freedom of expression. Fair enough. But freedom of expression is a two-way street. When Trump dares to exercise his, the self-righteous indignation of his adversaries rings hollow and is less than convincing.
As for the celebrities themselves, they ought to take the advice of eminent actor Anthony Hopkins. He scrupulously avoids revealing his political preferences on the basis that 'why I should I antagonise at least half of my audience?'
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Six dead after Israeli forces and allies fired at crowd near Gaza aid site
Palestinians say Israeli forces and allied local gunmen fired toward a crowd heading to an Israeli and US supported food distribution centre in the Gaza Strip. Gaza's Health Ministry said six people were killed in the reported attack early on Monday. The gunmen appeared to be allied with the Israeli military, operating in close proximity to troops and retreating into an Israeli military zone in the southern city of Rafah after the crowd hurled stones at them, witnesses said. Israeli army vehicles transport a group of soldiers and journalists inside the southern Gaza Strip (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel recently acknowledged supporting local armed groups opposed to Hamas. – The latest in a string of shootings It was the latest in a number of shootings that have killed at least 127 people and wounded hundreds since the rollout of a new food distribution system, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel and the US say the new system is designed to circumvent Hamas, but it has been rejected by the UN and major aid groups. Experts have meanwhile warned that Israel's blockade and its ongoing military campaign have put Gaza at risk of famine. Palestinians say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired toward crowds heading to the food centres since they opened last month. In previous instances, the Israeli military has said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces near the centres, which are in military zones off limits to independent media. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Israeli and US supported private contractor running the sites, says there has been no violence in or around the centres themselves. But GHF repeatedly warns would-be food recipients that stepping off the road designated by the military for people to reach the centres represents 'a great danger'. Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP) It paused delivery at its three distribution sites last week to hold discussions with the military about improving safety on the routes. GHF closed the Rafah site on Monday due to the 'chaos of the crowds', according to a Facebook site associated with the group. A GHF spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. – Shots fired from the 'dangerous zone' Heba Joda, who was in the crowd Monday, said gunfire broke out at a roundabout where previous shootings have occurred, around a kilometre (half a mile) from the aid site. She said the shots came from the 'dangerous zone' where Israeli troops and their allies are stationed. She said she saw men from a local militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab trying to organise the crowds into lines on the road. When people pushed forward, the gunmen opened fire. People then hurled stones at them, forcing them to withdraw toward the Israeli positions, she said. The Abu Shabab group, which calls itself the Popular Forces, says it is guarding the surroundings of the GHF centres in southern Gaza. Aid workers say it has a long history of looting UN aid trucks. GHF has said it does not work with the Abu Shabab group. Hussein Shamimi, who was also in the crowd, said his 14-year-old cousin was among those killed. We didn't receive anything. They shot us 'There was an ambush… the Israelis from one side and Abu Shabab from another,' he said. Mohamed Kabaga, a Palestinian displaced from northern Gaza, said he saw masked men firing toward the crowds after trying to organise them. 'They fired at us directly,' he said while being treated at Nasser Hospital, in the nearby city of Khan Younis. He had been shot in the neck, as were three other people seen by an Associated Press journalist at the hospital. Mr Kabaga said he saw around 50 masked men with 4×4 vehicles in the area around the roundabout, close to Israeli military lines. 'We didn't receive anything,' he said. 'They shot us.' Nasser Hospital said several men had been shot in the upper body, including some in the head. Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Health Ministry's records department, said six people were killed and more than 99 wounded, some of them at another GHF centre in central Gaza. – The 20-month war rages on The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 55 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,900 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up most of the dead. It does not say how many of those killed were civilians or combatants. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced some 90% of the population and left the territory almost completely reliant on international aid. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that even then, Israel will maintain open-ended control over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries, a plan rejected by most of the international community, including the Palestinians, who view it as a blueprint for their forcible expulsion.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Tunnel underneath a hospital in southern Gaza reveals death site of Hamas commander
Just over a metre wide and less than two metres tall, the tunnel led deep beneath a big hospital in southern Gaza Strip . The underground air bore the stench of what smelled like human remains. After walking about 40 metres along the tunnel, the likely cause became clear. In a tiny room to which the tunnel led, the floor was stained with blood. It was here, according to the Israel Defense Forces , that Mohammed Sinwar – one of Hamas' top militant commanders – was killed last month after a nearby barrage of Israeli strikes. What was in that dark and narrow tunnel is one of the war's biggest Rorschach tests, the embodiment of a broader narrative battle between Israelis and Palestinians over how the conflict should be portrayed. READ MORE The military escorted a reporter from the New York Times to the tunnel on Sunday afternoon, as part of a brief and controlled visit for international journalists that the Israelis hoped would prove that Hamas uses civilian infrastructure as a shield for militant activity. To Palestinians, Israel's attack on, and subsequent capture of, the hospital compound highlighted its own disregard for civilian activity. The room in which Muhammad Sinwar and four other militants is said to have died inside a tunnel in southern Gaza. To Israelis, the location of an underground passageway highlights Hamas's abuse of civilians but to Palestinians, Israel's decision to target it highlights Israel's own disregard for civilian life. Photograph: Patrick Kingsley/The New York Times Last month, the military ordered the hospital's staff and patients to leave the compound, a long with the residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Then, officials said, they bored a huge hole, about 10 metres deep, in a courtyard within the hospital grounds. Soldiers used that hole to gain access to the tunnel and retrieve Sinwar's body, and they later escorted journalists there so they could see what the military called his final hiding place. There are no known entrances to the tunnel within the hospital itself, so the journalists lowered themselves into the Israeli-made cavity using a rope. To join the controlled tour, the Times agreed not to photograph most soldiers' faces or publish geographic details that would put them in immediate danger. To the Israelis who brought us there, this hiding place – directly underneath the emergency department of the European Gaza Hospital – is emblematic of how Hamas has consistently endangered civilians, and broken international law, by directing its military operations from the cover of hospitals and schools. Hamas has also dug tunnels underneath Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and a United Nations complex elsewhere in that city. 'We were dragged by Hamas to this point,' Brig Gen Effie Defrin, the chief Israeli military spokesman, said at the hospital. 'If they weren't building their infrastructure under the hospitals, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't attack this hospital.' Defrin said Israel had tried to minimise damage to the hospital by striking the area around its buildings, without a direct hit on the medical facilities themselves. 'The aim was not to damage the hospital and, as much as we could, to avoid collateral damage,' he said. Israeli soldiers stand in a hole used to gain access to a tunnel in southern Gaza where the Israeli military says a top Hamas militant commander was killed in the Gaza Strip. Photograph: Patrick Kingsley/The New York Times To the Palestinians who were forced from here, the Israeli attack on Sinwar embodied Israel's willingness to prioritise the destruction of Hamas over the protection of civilian life and infrastructure, particularly the health system. According to the World Health Organisation, Israel has conducted at least 686 attacks on health facilities in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, damaging at least 33 of Gaza's 36 hospitals. Many, like the European Gaza Hospital, are now out of service, fuelling accusations from rights groups and foreign governments – strongly denied by the Israelis – that Israel is engaged in genocide, in part by wrecking the Palestinian health system. 'It's morally and legally unacceptable, but Israel thinks it is above the law,' Dr Salah al-Hams, the hospital spokesman, said in a phone interview from another part of southern Gaza. Although Israel targeted the periphery of the hospital site, leaving the hospital buildings standing, al-Hams said the strikes had wounded 10 people within the compound, damaged its water and sewage systems and dislodged part of its roof. The attack killed 23 people in buildings beyond its perimeter, he said, 17 more than were reported on the day. The tremors caused by the strikes were like an 'earthquake,' al-Hams said. Al-Hams said he had been unaware of any tunnels beneath the hospital. Even if they were there, he said, it does not justify the attack. 'Israel should have found other ways to eliminate any wanted commander. There were a thousand other ways to do it.' The journey to the hospital revealed much about the current dynamics of the war in Gaza. In a roughly 20-minute ride from the Israeli border, we saw no Palestinians – the result of Israel's decision to order the residents of southern Gaza to abandon their homes and head west to the sea. Many buildings were simply piles of rubble, destroyed either by Israeli strikes and demolitions or Hamas' booby traps. Here and there, some buildings survived, more or less intact; on one balcony, someone had left a tidy line of potted cactuses. We drove in open-top 4x4s, a sign that across this part of southeastern Gaza, the Israeli military no longer fears being ambushed by Hamas fighters. Until at least the Salah al-Din highway, the territory's main north-south artery, the Israeli military seemed to be in complete command after the expansion of its ground campaign in March. The European Gaza Hospital and the tunnel beneath it are among the places that now appear to be exclusively under Israeli control. Under the laws of war, a medical facility is considered a protected site that can be attacked only in very rare cases. If one side uses the site for military purposes, that may make it a legitimate target, but only if the risk to civilians is proportional to the military advantage created by the attack. The Israeli military said it had tried to limit harm to civilians by striking only around the edges of the hospital compound. But international legal experts said that any assessment of the strike's legality needed also to take into account its effect on the wider health system in southern Gaza. In a territory where many hospitals are already not operational, experts said, it is harder to find legal justification for strikes that put the remaining hospitals out of service, even if militants hide beneath them. When we entered the tunnel Sunday, we found it almost entirely intact. The crammed room where Sinwar and four fellow militants were said to have died was stained with blood, but its walls appeared undamaged. The mattresses, clothes and bedsheets did not appear to have been dislodged by the explosions, and an Israeli rifle – stolen earlier in the war, the soldiers said – dangled from a hook in the corner. It was not immediately clear how Sinwar was killed, and Defrin said he could not provide a definitive answer. He suggested that Sinwar and his allies may have suffocated in the aftermath of the strikes or been knocked over by a shock wave unleashed by explosions. If Sinwar was intentionally poisoned by gases released by such explosions, it would raise legal questions, experts on international law said. 'It would be an unlawful use of a conventional bomb – a generally lawful weapon – if the intent is to kill with the asphyxiating gases released by that bomb,' said Sarah Harrison, a former lawyer at the US Defence Department and an analyst at the International Crisis Group. Defrin denied any such intent. 'This is something that I have to emphasise here, as a Jew first and then as a human being: We don't use gas as weapons,' he said. In other tunnels discovered by the Israeli military, soldiers have used Palestinians as human shields, sending them on ahead to scour for traps. Defrin denied the practice. The tunnel was excavated by Israelis, he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times .
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Watch: Surveillance footage shows crew on Gaza aid boat putting hands up as Israeli forces seize vessel
Surveillance footage released on Monday (June 9) showed crew on board a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip seated with their hands up, with officials saying Israeli forces had taken command of the yacht. In the footage, the crew on the British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), were told to hand over their mobile phones and 'anything sensitive' by an unidentified person. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control.
