I wish Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett the very best in the coming weeks as he undergoes his treatment. He has been a vociferous campaigner both inside and outside this Dáil for many decades. I very much look forward to him resuming that work.

Last night, senior UN humanitarian officials released a joint statement pleading with the international community to act on Gaza. For over a month, no commercial or humanitarian supplies have entered; no food, no water and no medicine. Al-Aqsa hospital, according to one report, is a place of concentrated horror and suffering. A constant stream of ambulances rush in loaded with casualties, mostly crushed and charred bodies and dismembered children. Those children endure amputation procedures without any anaesthetics. The number of dead, injured and missing people in Gaza is now approaching 200,000. The Israeli Government is acting with impunity to maim, murder, incarcerate and torture Palestinian people. The Israeli Army is committing war crimes in the full glare of the media spotlight. On 23 March, 15 paramedics in Gaza and their ambulances disappeared. A week later, their bodies were discovered in a mass grave along with their crushed emergency vehicles. The Israeli Army claimed it opened fire on the emergency workers as their vehicles were moving suspiciously without headlights or flashing lights. Mobile phone footage recovered from one of the victims' bodies has proven that was a lie. They were slaughtered without warning on the side of the road. The lies about this massacre from the Israeli Army are blatant and grotesque and the silence from western leaders has been deafening and shameful.

As a signatory to the genocide convention, this country has a legal obligation to do whatever it can to stop genocide. Instead of searching planes at Shannon for weapons, the State is strip-searching peaceful protestors.

That is incorrect.

In just the past week, The Ditch has reported that Lufthansa illegally transported more than a tonne of munitions through Irish airspace to Israel. Facilitating supply of key components to fighter jets that are dropping bombs on Gaza is utterly reprehensible. Have reports that Lufthansa illegally transported munitions through Irish airspace been investigated by the Government? Is the Taoiseach going to act to stop these illegal transports? When is he going to enact the occupied territories Bill?

I condemn without reservation the attacks by the IDF on Gaza, the bombing and the continuing slaughter within Gaza, in particular the murder of emergency responders that the Deputy has referenced. That has been confirmed, essentially, in terms of what happened on 23 March, in terms of 15 emergency responders being murdered. I say that without hesitation. It is quite shocking that something of this kind could happen. I note that the nature of the investigation is now changing. It is absolutely unacceptable and I agree with the UN human rights chief that there must be an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the killings and that those responsible for any violation of international law must be held to account.

Ireland has bilaterally and multilaterally repeatedly called on Israel to comply with international law, stressing the universal applicability of international law to include international humanitarian law. I have condemned the air strikes. I have always been clear about air strikes which kill innocent people and children. The number of children killed in Gaza is absolutely shocking and beyond any moral compass. The people of Gaza have endured unbelievable hardships and there should be an urgent end to all hostilities.

Hamas should stop firing rockets, should disengage and should release all hostages. Hamas has brought misery on its own people also. What Hamas did on 7 October was unforgivable and is equally to be condemned. The release of hostages could be a catalyst. There is no justification for any of this in my view. The remaining hostages should be released. What they have gone through is absolutely shocking as well. If one recalls, many of these hostages were attending concerts or were going about their daily lives and they were abducted. The level of hate across the region now is such that it is making, and will make, any potential reconciliation pathway almost impossible but we cannot give up hope. We and the international community need to focus on getting a ceasefire established and restored with a view to getting the hostages released and some pathway to peace along the lines of what the Arab nations have put together in terms of a peace pathway or process.

I welcome the Taoiseach's strong condemnation. I agree that all hostages should be released immediately. I also welcome his condemnation of air strikes. However, I asked the Taoiseach about the issue at hand, which is that parts of fighter jets are being transported illegally through Irish airspace to Israel. These fighter jets are then being used to drop bombs on people in Gaza through the air strikes which the Taoiseach has rightly condemned. These are bombs on men, women and children, on paramedics and on aid workers. Is the Government investigating the reports which have been published about our airspace being used for the illegal transport of munitions to Israel? Will it act to stop these illegal transports of munitions to Israel?

I will make three points in response to what Deputy O'Callaghan made reference to earlier.

On overflights, there are set regulations and legislation governing that. I will ask the Minister for Transport to again pursue the issue the Deputy has raised with regard to Lufthansa. We cannot physically stop planes but we can certainly take actions subsequently.

There are no planes landing at Shannon with weapons for Gaza. People should not be referencing that casually as if it is a fact; it is not. It is just not happening. We need to ground everything we say on truth, accuracy and precision. This line gets trotted out about Shannon Airport and Gaza wrongly and falsely.

Equally, Deputy O'Callaghan mentioned in passing about strip searching and so on. I know the Minister for Justice has pursued this with the Garda Commissioner. I have asked the Minister for Justice for the most up-to-date reports. The issue of strip searching is being strenuously denied by An Garda Síochána. From what I understand, An Garda Síochána would take strong issue with what was asserted in the House last week in respect of that. I must put that on the record.

I will pursue the first issue with regard to the overflights, which is problematic for us. People normally alert us in advance. If they do not, they are breaking the law.