First, like others, I acknowledge the horrific attack on a synagogue in Manchester. I send me deepest sympathies to the families of the two deceased. I understand there are a number of other people injured. It is horrific. I condemn outright what appears to have been a blatantly antisemitic attack on Yom Kippur.

I also acknowledge the importance of having made time for this debate today. This is unprecedented. The circumstances are extraordinary, as we see a rapidly evolving situation and a number of Irish citizens put at risk. All of our thoughts and concerns are with those citizens on the Global Sumud Flotilla, who have been part of a humanitarian mission and who have endured a great deal of intimidation from Israel over recent days, even before the awful events of last night.

We were all following what was going on. We were watching the deployment of water cannon against them, the use of intimidating and frightening tactics by Israel against them and then, of course, most recently and dramatically last night, the illegal detention - abduction, really - of, we think, 15 Irish citizens. I think the Tánaiste said 15 or 16 Irish citizens, among them our colleague in the Oireachtas Senator Chris Andrews, my own constituency colleague. I want to send a particular message to Chris. We know that another Member of the Oireachtas, Deputy Barry Heneghan, is in the broader flotilla. A number of other Irish citizens have also been abducted by Israel. We have had some of their families in this Chamber just recently. I again express our enormous sympathy and solidarity with the families, who must be undergoing enormous distress and concern as they are unable to watch what is going on because so little communication has been possible as a result of the Israeli action.

On behalf of Labour, I condemn Israel for this latest flagrant breach of international law - intercepting a flotilla of ships whose only mission was to draw attention to the horrific genocide being perpetrated by Israel upon the people of Gaza and to seek to bring aid to the civilians in Gaza, who are enduring such unimaginable suffering.

My colleague Deputy Duncan Smith will take on the asking of questions to the Tánaiste and I know the Tánaiste has outlined the efforts being made at diplomatic level by our ambassador, by the Tánaiste himself and by our Department of foreign affairs at the highest level to secure the safety of Irish citizens on the flotilla and, more broadly, an end to the horrific genocide in Gaza. The Tánaiste has already articulated this, as have I. All of us hope there will be a sustainable peace in Gaza. All of us have enormous concerns about the peace proposals that have been put forward but, certainly, we want to see an end to the genocide, the bringing about of a sustainable ceasefire and a sustainable two-state solution for the people of Palestine. We have been watching with horror as over 60,000 civilians in Gaza have been killed under bombardment and man-made famine. We have watched children being killed and maimed. We have watched medics and journalists being killed. A doctor interviewed this week spoke about the horror of standing by a small girl's bedside as she died from bombardment. Her entire family had been wiped out by a bombardment. These are unimaginable horrors and we have to do all we can.

Before I hand to Deputy Duncan Smith, I want to finish by saying again that we have always welcomed what the Government has done. We recognise the Irish Government has been to the fore, along with our colleagues in the Spanish Government, led by our socialist colleague Pedro Sánchez. They have been to the fore in calling out Israel and standing in solidarity with Gaza. We can and should do more because we are a powerful voice on the international stage, and a powerful voice for the people of Palestine. We need to progress the occupied territories Bill with much greater speed and to cover both goods and services. We need to ensure we have no trade with Israel as it commits genocide, and that we are pushing at the strongest level, a European level, to ensure that at EU level too there is an end to trade and effective sanctions on Israel.

It cannot be lost on us what we have done here today, in terms of adapting Leaders' Questions to deal with this issue. I commend the Government Chief Whip on allowing this today. I cannot remember a precedent for this, given all the crises we have had before. It was right to do it but it shows that this House can act, adapt and be flexible.

I have to bring the Tánaiste back to the occupied territories Bill. In my time in this House, I have often had promises that Bills are going to be brought about in a particular term. We wait and wait, we get to the last week of the term and maybe Second Stage begins. Then we go into a recess. Then we come back and it takes two or three weeks for Second Stage to be resumed. I have to ask the Tánaiste about the occupied territories Bill. I was on the committee. We dealt expeditiously with pre-legislative scrutiny and we got a report to the Tánaiste well before the summer recess. Will the occupied territories Bill be brought to this House before the end of October?

I will answer the question but first, Deputy Bacik asked a question about the number of Irish citizens. I want to give the House the best information I have. When I came into this House, we had confirmed that 14 Irish citizens have been detained. I am aware that there are 16 Irish citizens in total but one of them may be a dual citizen so I think that might be where the 15-16 issue arises.

I am reluctant to give that commitment to Deputy Smith but not out of a lack of urgency around the occupied territories Bill. I am just conscious that the House goes into recess. I am conscious of budget week and that it is now October but I will work with Opposition parties and spokespeople to try to agree a timetable to advance this Bill. I am happy to do that with the Government Chief Whip. We do want to move this forward.

In light of that, would the Tánaiste be confident it will be before the end of November?

Yes.

Okay. We will have it before the end of November.

I thank the Tánaiste.