A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

Israel has resumed its genocidal war on the people of Gaza. Some 970 deaths over the past 48 hours have been reported by health authorities, the majority children, women and the elderly. Those who have died have died hungry. The attack follows Israel's total blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and doctors watch people die before their eyes. This is the horrific result of the impunity handed to Israel. Netanyahu has shattered the ceasefire because he knew he could without consequence. These airstrikes have been launched with the support of the United States and only days after the Taoiseach met President Trump in the Oval Office. The Taoiseach had the opportunity to respectfully challenge President Trump on the US getting it so catastrophically wrong in Gaza and on backing Israel's war machine to the hilt, but it was an opportunity the Taoiseach did not take. Now the people of Gaza are slaughtered once again.

How is it that the Taoiseach has briefed that the Government is walking away from the occupied territories Bill? Will he now say what he should have said in the Oval Office and set out our abhorrence of events again in Gaza and the US continuing to fund that slaughter?

First of all, I condemn the horrendous atrocity over the last two days in terms of the bombing of innocent men, women and children. I have not briefed anything of the sort the Deputy suggested. Again, if she had consulted me, she might have got the truth, but she decides just to go for the propaganda. That is what it is about.

In my remarks in the Oval Office, I very succinctly articulated Ireland's position-----

You did not.

-----on the Middle East, and it is on the record. For the life of me, I will never understand why Deputy McDonald did not go to Capitol Hill.

Ah, stop.

That is not what this is about.

The reason I will never understand it is-----

I am not the Taoiseach.

-----that the Deputy has many friends-----

I do.

-----on Capitol Hill. She has many funders in America who have funded her organisation. She has many business contacts.

Correct.

She meets with many developers in the United States. I think the reason she did not go to the United States is that she did not want to face them in respect of the different American perspective on the Middle East.

Jesus, that is pathetic.

I have no issue with going and articulating the fundamental principled stance Ireland has taken.

The Taoiseach did not do that.

The Deputy dodged it deliberately and decided to stay at home, which I think was a mistake and robs her of any credibility in attacking me or criticising me in respect of this issue.

You sang dumb, Taoiseach.

It is deeply distressing to see the resumption of Israel's brutal bombardment on the people of Gaza and horrific to hear Netanyahu describe Israeli airstrikes as "only the beginning". We have already seen horrific levels of deaths of civilians, including children, and what little hope was left for the population of Gaza seems to be gone, with barely any aid reaching civilians. Our moral obligation to act is stronger than ever.

There are disturbing reports from Washington that the Taoiseach said the occupied territories Bill was no longer on the legislative calendar. Could he clarify his position on the Bill? Now is the time to act to express our collective horror at what is happening with Israel. Could the Taoiseach also use his time at the European Council this week to confirm to other European leaders the need to take stronger actions against Israel and to adopt stronger sanctions at European level, in particular to target Israeli-held assets and financial interests, to ensure that any power we can use within the EU and nationally is used to stop the slaughter in Gaza.

Again, I did not do that in any shape or form. In any interactions I had, I articulated that the programme for Government was progressing the occupied territories Bill. I made that very clear and I listed out all the actions we had taken, which are well known to the House.

Fundamentally, however, it seems to me that Prime Minister Netanyahu, irrespective of what gets said here or what gets said in Europe, is hell-bent on his own political survival at an horrendous cost to innocent children and civilians within Gaza. We have consistently called for a ceasefire from the get-go, being one of the first European Union countries to do so. Our view is that that ceasefire needed to be consolidated - on both sides, by the way. I think Hamas's behaviour during the first phase was reprehensible also and how it has treated hostages has been reprehensible. All hostages should be released now unconditionally, in my view. Equally, however, the war should stop. It is morally bankrupt to bomb children to their death in the manner that has happened in the past two days.