I also warmly congratulate the Tánaiste on her new position. I welcome the clear and measured response she has given on the previous issue. Like others, I hope for a successful outcome.

I want to raise the conflict in the Middle East which is, once again, spiralling out of control. In the past two days, the Israeli Defence Forces have killed 50 people and wounded more than 500 in the relentless shelling of Gaza. Their claim that they are attacking Palestinian military targets is a lie. They are attacking family homes and refugee camps and killing women and children. As if this brutality is not enough, they are now threatening a full-scale military invasion of Gaza. We all know that for years the people of Gaza have been subjected to an illegal and brutal blockade. They are now being subjected to collective punishment by the Israeli Government. It is targeting women and children, and this is not acceptable. It is not acceptable either to kidnap and kill Israeli teenagers, it is not acceptable to kidnap and kill Palestinian children, and it is not acceptable for the Israeli Government to pound Gaza, one of the most densely populated places in the world, with hundreds of tonnes of explosives in a matter of days. The firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel should end immediately, but these actions cannot excuse the brutal and overwhelming military force used by the Israeli Government against what is, I repeat, a civilian population. Diplomatic pressure must be brought to bear to bring this violence to an end and to open the way for talks. What has the Irish Government done in recent days to help bring this violence to an end? Has the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade or any Minister picked up the phone to contact the Israeli ambassador or the Israeli Prime Minister directly to express the Government's outrage at the use of collective punishment against the people of Gaza?

I thank the Deputy for her congratulations. The Government is gravely concerned about the escalating violence and the civilian casualties we are now witnessing on the ground in Gaza and Israel following Israel's launch of a major air offensive against Hamas targets in Gaza in response to the continued large-scale firing of rockets by Hamas and other Islamic militants into Israel. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement yesterday in which he condemned unreservedly the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel, which, as the Deputy said, poses a grave threat to the population. Equally, his statement condemned the mounting civilian casualties, including reportedly women and children, resulting from Israeli air strikes against Gaza. The latest estimates are that more than 70 Palestinians have been killed since the launch of the Israeli operation earlier this week.

Both the people of Gaza and the people of Israel have the right to live in peace and security without the threat of indiscriminate violence being visited upon them. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is closely monitoring the situation and is keeping in contact with our missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah. It is recommended that Irish citizens who are currently in the region or travelling there register with the Department on its website. Those considering travelling should check the travel advice on the website which is updated regularly and Irish citizens in Israel or the occupied territories should exercise extreme caution and closely monitor developments via local media outlets.

It is vital that all efforts are now made to de-escalate the current situation and bring the current wave of violence and military action to an end. On behalf of the Government, I appeal to all sides to exercise the utmost restraint, avoid all civilian casualties and negotiate the earliest possible ceasefire. Obviously, the past four weeks following the deaths of the four young people have been extraordinarily difficult.

I am sure the Tánaiste's advice for Irish citizens is necessary and instructive, but I put it to her that by far the greater concern at this time is for the men, women and children of Gaza. I have no doubt that the Tánaiste is gravely concerned by this turn of events, which amounts to more than a threat to the people of Gaza. This is a catastrophe in motion. Whereas the Tánaiste itemised a statement made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I put it to her that it is gravely insufficient given the seriousness of the situation and the real possibility that Israeli aggression against the Palestinian population will escalate. It is now time for more than statements, advice to Irish citizens or indeed advice to anyone else.

I again ask the Tánaiste whether there has been contact with the Israeli ambassador in the State. Has there been government-to-government contact with the Israeli Administration? The Tánaiste knows that the EU head of mission in Jerusalem correctly accused the Israeli government in March 2013 of deliberately flouting international law. This accusation has been made time and again. Time and again, we have seen the population of Gaza pummelled and we are literally only given diplomatic rhetoric. We need more than this. If there has been no contact with the Israeli ambassador, when is that going to happen? If there has been no contact with the Israeli Administration, when is that going to happen?

I met the Palestinian representative to Ireland a couple of months to talk about the issues the Deputy raised and the difficulties for the populations of Gaza and the occupied territories.

I agree with her that what is happening is exceptionally difficult for them. Much has been done to build up and develop the area, including significant support from the Irish development aid programme via the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. Much of that, as well as the contributions from other EU member states, may well be undone and set at nought by the developments of which we are aware. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is closely monitoring the situation. Officials are keeping in contact with our missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah, which is important, and, through them, with the administrations in both Israel and Palestine.

Therefore, the answer is that there has been no direct contact.

I reiterate that Ireland's objective in foreign policy terms is, and has always been, to ensure that the people of both Gaza and Israel have the right to live in peace.

No contact. The Government does not want to upset the Yanks.

As Deputy Mary Lou McDonald will be aware, from a diplomatic point of view, we have for many years advocated a two-state policy.

But the ambassador or the Administration have not been contacted directly. That was my question.

We are over time.

I said the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement yesterday. He is closely monitoring the situation through-----

That is not good enough.

I am sorry, but we have to finish.

We want peace restored for the people of both Israel and Gaza.

Statements will not achieve that.

Nobody has been injured on the Israeli side.

Call in the ambassador.