I utterly condemn the brutal Hamas attack on 7 October, when 1,200 innocent Israeli people died but does the death of 1,200 innocent people equate to the death of 30,000 innocent civilians in Gaza? This number continues to rise daily as the humanitarian crisis grows. Ireland has great friends in the United States Senate and Congress and in the White House. Will the Taoiseach use his influence and that of his Government with contacts in Washington to put pressure on the Biden Administration? Will he use whatever channels are available through the EU to get Israel to call a halt to the slaughter of innocent people, most of whom are women and children, and bring a halt to this humanitarian crisis?

I hope to travel to the US next months for the St. Patrick's Day events and I will, of course, use the opportunity, both in public and in private, to share the views of the Irish people, and my own views, on what is happening in Israel and Palestine. I hope by then there is already a ceasefire. Let us pray there is but either way, I will be sharing our views with our friends and colleagues in the US. It is important to say that the US, Egypt and Qatar are working together on a ceasefire proposal and it is incumbent on Israel and Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal that is on the table.