In Gaza, hospitals are turning into morgues. That is the chilling warning from the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC. We are hearing increasingly desperate reports from the United Nations, Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF, and other aid workers on the ground telling us hospitals are overwhelmed due to Israel's complete siege on Gaza and the ongoing bombardment with air and artillery strikes. We have seen appalling loss of civilian life on the streets of Gaza, over 11,000 civilians, including 4,000 children. We are seeing unforgivable attacks on hospitals, the loss of life of newborn babies in incubators, older people on life support and oxygen, those on dialysis and women in labour. Our thoughts are with all of those unforgivably and appallingly affected.

Of course, our thoughts are also with Irish citizens caught up in this conflict. Our thoughts are with Irish citizens in Gaza, people like Zak and Batoul Hania, trapped with their children in Gaza, who have spoken so movingly on our media. They lived in Castleknock in Dublin for many years. We are all thinking of Emily Hand and her family since her horrific abduction by Hamas in the brutal attack on civilians on 7 October.

I welcome the Taoiseach's confirmation that the Government has ongoing engagement with Cairo and Tel Aviv. He confirmed that to me last week in the House. I know the Government is seeking the urgent release of all those with connections to Ireland. It is of utmost importance that those efforts continue and we all support that. However, to date those efforts have not been enough. Irish citizens remain trapped in Gaza. We are all utterly despondent at what is happening with the continued holding of hostages by Hamas and Israel's ongoing bombardment. We are also distressed at the spillover of violence into the West Bank and neighbouring countries.

That is why it has been so welcome to see the Government calling for an immediate ceasefire. All of us in opposition share this view because in this country we know all too well that talking and a political resolution cannot start until the bullets stop and we have a ceasefire. To date, the exhortations to the Israeli Government to stop the killing and to stop breaching international law appear to have been in vain. It would appear that in the Israeli Administration and Netanyahu Government there is no willingness to listen, even to intimations from the US Administration that Israel has crossed a line for it. Clearly, further action needs to be taken by all of us.

We are increasingly seeing other countries severing diplomatic relations with Israel over its heinous breaches of international law and the genocidal actions we are seeing with the carpet bombing of Gaza. South Africa and Bolivia have ended relations with Israel. Many more countries, including Colombia and Chile, have recalled ambassadors and embassy staff. This week, several Opposition motions before the Oireachtas propose using the diplomatic tools available to us, just as Ireland did with apartheid South Africa. It is incumbent on the Government to reflect on how Ireland should proceed and whether the Israeli ambassador's position remains tenable in light of the rising death toll in Gaza and the evidence we are hearing from aid workers and others. Will the Government support an escalation of our diplomatic protest against the actions of the Israeli Government by removing diplomatic status from the ambassador and ensuring breaches of international law by Israel and Hamas are investigated and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, ICC?

I thank Deputy Bacik for raising the most serious and important of issues of our time in our world today. Even if we do not agree on the path to take, I thank her and many in opposition for their constructive engagement with Government. I too am proud that we are in a Parliament and country that was among the first in Europe and the world to call for a humanitarian ceasefire.

I am proud that we took the vote that we took at the UN. I am proud of the positions of our Taoiseach and Tánaiste. I am delighted that our Tánaiste will travel this evening to Egypt, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, continuing the diplomatic work that has called for peace, a ceasefire and, crucially, as the Deputy stated, the protection of Irish citizens trapped in Gaza.

Like the Deputy, I am thinking of Tom Hand and his family, including young Emily, who is likely to turn nine years of age on Friday while in captivity. I am sure that many of us held our children tighter last night when we saw the emotional scene of Tom Hand pleading for his daughter to be released.

There is absolutely no doubt that what Hamas did was despicable. We have all condemned it because it deserves condemnation. It was an act of terror on the people of Israel and should be condemned. Of course, Israel had a right to defend itself, but that original right has now become, in my view, a war on children. You cannot build peace on the mass graves of children. It is unfortunate that a country has become blinded by rage.

The Deputy and I differ in our views on the ambassador. Diplomacy is not the equivalent of endorsement, as the Deputy knows, and we do not just talk to those with whom we agree. All too often, it is more important to talk to those with whom we disagree. When we discuss Israel and its ambassador, we must be conscious that there are approximately 400 Irish troops on peacekeeping missions in the region. We must be conscious of the fact, as I know the Deputy is, that there are approximately 40 Irish citizens trapped in Gaza. We must be conscious of the fact that there is an Irish-Israeli girl being held hostage by Hamas. We need to keep talking. If we expelled the Israeli ambassador, Israel would expel our ambassador there, which would make us less productive in the work we have to do.

Regarding the International Criminal Court, the Government has been clear that all sides must be held accountable for the actions they commit. I am pleased that the International Criminal Court has confirmed that an active investigation into the situation in Palestine has been open since 2021. On the Tánaiste’s recommendation, the Government has today decided to make an additional financial allocation to the International Criminal Court specifically in the context of the ongoing investigation into the situation in Palestine and Gaza. This is a practical measure that the Government can take, and which the Deputy will welcome, to help the International Criminal Court. The court has confirmed that there is an active investigation and we want to ensure that the court is supported and resourced in its work.

I thank the Minister for his response and I welcome the announcement of Ireland’s renewed support for the International Criminal Court, but this is a war on children and it requires a firm and clear response from the Government. While we need to continue all forms of constructive engagement to secure the release of Emily Hand and the 40 Irish citizens who are trapped and effectively being held hostage by the Israeli Government in Gaza, we must also continue to call out and condemn the breaches of international law by Netanyahu’s Government.

At the weekend, I was glad to join with other social democratic party leaders at the Party of European Socialists’s annual congress. While there, I made strong representations on the need for a united call from across Europe for an immediate ceasefire. Many of those in attendance emphasised the importance of Ireland’s leadership on this issue, both from the Government and the Opposition, because as a neutral country with a strong record on international peacekeeping missions and with our own history of conflict resolution on this island, we have a responsibility that is not to be taken lightly. It is important that our Government and Ireland show strong leadership in pushing further for Israel to stop its barbaric action in Gaza, put an end to this war on children and the horrific death toll that is rising daily in Gaza, and listen to the calls of aid workers, medics and others for the bullets to stop and a ceasefire to be put in place. I appeal to the Minister to use every lever at the Government’s disposal, including that of diplomatic relations, to ensure that this war on children is ended.

Objectively, the Government, the Oireachtas and the country have, to use the Deputy’s words, been firm and clear on this issue. In many ways, Ireland’s position is becoming the position of more countries. There is a growing coalition of countries calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. When other countries chose to abstain at the UN, Ireland did not. It is fair to say that Ireland has had a clear and consistent position, one that has been articulated by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Government and many in opposition.

The most practical thing we can do – I am not playing politics with this and do not mean this dismissively – is, rather than pass more motions in this House, to have our Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tánaiste to go tonight to the region, including Egypt, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, to advocate for our citizens and to advocate for peace. We do not intend to cancel or call off diplomatic relations with Israel because we believe that would mean cutting off communication channels. However, we do intend to ensure people are held accountable for their actions, to support the work of the International Criminal Court, to add money to it and continue our advocacy for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the safe return of Irish citizens.