I raise the incredibly volatile and concerning situation in the Middle East. As we were coming into the Chamber, we heard reports Israeli troops are, as we speak, firing on three UNIFIL positions in Lebanon. We understand from reports that one of those is the base at Naquora, that there are injured UN peacekeepers and that UNIFIL is to issue a statement very soon. No Irish peacekeepers are affected, as far as we know, but all of us must send thoughts to the troops now under fire. They are UN peacekeepers fulfilling a really important and valuable mission. Our thoughts are with our own peacekeepers in southern Lebanon and their families, who are desperately worried as matters develop. We hope everyone will be safe, as far as possible, but it seems the UN is under attack from Israel.

I have already thanked the Tánaiste and want to put on record my thanks for the briefing he gave to me and other Opposition party leaders on the situation facing Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon on Tuesday. Since that briefing, which we all found useful and constructive, we were relieved to see the most immediate danger to our troops in their positions had receded, but news is breaking of Israeli attacks on the UN today.

I want to put on the record my deep appreciation and that of the Labour Party for the invaluable work being done by our peacekeepers in Lebanon. We know how dangerous that work is and today's developments illustrate that starkly. I know the Tánaiste will continue to keep us and, much more importantly, the families of our troops updated on developments as they unfold.

This is yet another example of Israel's continuing spreading of mayhem, war, destruction and civilian deaths and casualties across the region, in Gaza, where genocidal actions by Israel have led to over 40,000 deaths, also now in Lebanon and there are reports from Syria too. Today in Gaza, 28 people were killed and 54 injured in an airstrike on Rafida school, where people were sheltering from the brutal bombardment. It is outrageous that Israel continues to act with apparent impunity, targeting civilians and now, it seems, firing on peacekeepers. There have already been unprecedented levels of death among UN aid workers, children and journalists under fire from Israel.

The Taoiseach is in Washington this week. He has said that President Biden had a conversation of substance with Netanyahu, yet Israel continues this outrageous and illegal action. What can we in Ireland do? Let us go further than we have gone. We welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine and the Tánaiste's efforts at EU level, but we have legal opinions stating the occupied territories Bill can be passed into law to create a meaningful set of sanctions against a state that is now a terror state, it seems. It is acting with disregard for the international rules of war and the rules around protection of peacekeepers. It is unacceptable. I know the Tánaiste and all in this House share that view as our troops face this outrageous danger. What are we doing about it? Can the Tánaiste say we will act to pass the occupied territories Bill? The Tánaiste will have all of our support in doing so. His party and the Green Party, up to 2020, wanted to see that Bill passed.

I thank the Deputy sincerely for raising the issue and for her comments. I do not have an update on the report I received as I arrived in the Chamber of firing on UNIFIL positions. I expect to get a comprehensive report on that, which I will share with people generally.

It illustrates the high-risk and dangerous environment peacekeepers now operate within and the need for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel. That has to happen immediately. Israel is not listening, even to its allies, in terms of progressing its agenda of, it seems to me, all-out war in the region. We have seen what has happened in Gaza, where 70% of all buildings have been levelled, 40,000 people have been killed and the population is now experiencing forms of famine and lack of access to proper nutrition. Children have had no access to schools for 12 months, from the beginning of this war with the Hamas attack on 7 October, which was a heinous crime as well. It is unacceptable.

I said earlier in the House that the nature of destructive warfare today, where an entire community, from education to health, gets destroyed in the name of attacking various opponent military targets, is a clear breach of international humanitarian law. There is no doubt about that. Ireland has pursued this through the international courts. It has supported and made submissions to the international courts. The advisory opinion is important, including in the context of the occupied territories Bill. We await further advices from the Attorney General, which I expect we will get shortly, in respect of both the Bill and the impact of the ICJ.

The ICJ places obligations on states in respect of the occupation, whereby nothing can be done that would in any way aid or support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. In my view, this creates a new context in which we must look at this. We have already tabled this at the European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting - the informal one held recently - where Josep Borrell, the high level representative, said that he has sought legal opinion as to the implications for the European Union in respect of the ICJ advisory opinion. Ireland supported that opinion through resolutions. We co-sponsored a resolution recently to have a follow-through at UN level on the implementation of that advisory opinion.

As the Tánaiste said, clearly the situation is unfolding. UNIFIL is due to give a statement shortly but the reports are extremely concerning. I agree that of course we need to see an immediate ceasefire. It is also true, as the Tánaiste said, that Israel is not listening to allies. It is not listening to anyone. That is the point. It is continuing to act because it believes it can do so with impunity. Netanyahu's Government has lost all sense of moral compass, international law and compliance. As a small state here in Ireland, where people share such outrage at Israel's actions, sometimes people can feel helpless and ask, "What can we do?" Certainly we have done some important things, such as the recognition of the State of Palestine, which was very important. We can, should and must go further, however. I take some encouragement from the Tánaiste's response. As he said, the ICJ opinion does change the situation. It does create a different and changed legal context in which it becomes even more imperative that we pass meaningful trade sanctions on Israel here from Ireland. The EU is Israel's biggest trade partner. This is how we can have an impact on Israeli policies through trade. Will the Tánaiste assure us that he is actively looking for ways to pass the Bill rather than reasons not to? Let us hope the Attorney General's opinion will give us a way forward.

I can assure the Deputy that we will be supportive of anything that will assist in pushing back against the occupation of Palestinian territory and what is happening at the moment with the significant land grab in the north of the West Bank. With regard to the ICJ opinion, I already took action, instructing my Department and the military leadership not to procure from Israel any defensive equipment, drones or whatever. I had read somewhere, much to my surprise, that this was about to happen. I would regard any engagement with the defence industry in Israel as tantamount to supporting the occupation so I took that decision based on the ICJ advisory opinion. It is an opinion that people should read. I know Deputy Bacik has done so, given her expertise, to be fair. The opinion has significant implications for all European member states. Europe cannot ignore the implications of the ICJ advisory opinion any further.