"There is no colour left in Gaza." Those were the words of Dr. Mohamed, a doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières, who presented to us in the audiovisual room last week the updated humanitarian situation in Gaza, alongside his colleague Dr. Sohaib. Both doctors spoke of the unbearable reality of trying to save children torn apart by shrapnel, often without anaesthetic, electricity or even clean water. They told us about two little girls, just four and six-years-old, two sisters who they did everything possible to save, sitting with one of those sisters all night with her lung exposed due to catastrophic injuries from shrapnel and trying to keep her alive. They fought to save but those two sisters but, tragically, could not.

The heartbreak in the voices of those doctors was extraordinarily difficult to listen to. I listened to them while conscious of the UN special rapporteur's recent report, which highlights how Ireland has enabled the transfer of military materials through its infrastructure and airspace, thus making us complicit in genocide. The transfer of weapons through Ireland is the facilitation of genocide, as laid out clearly by Francesa Albanese in no uncertain terms. We cannot, on the one hand, call for peace and, on the other, allow the machinery of war to move through our ports or our skies.

While the doctors spoke of the unimaginable conditions, they also told us of the difficulty of getting aid in because even crutches are seen as dual use. In a country where there have been so many amputations, how can we accept this as normal? This is corroborated by a recent article in The Journal by the deputy director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, Mr. John Whyte, who describes how the humanitarian situation is so bleak that aid is being deliberately restricted and food, water and medicine are being used as weapons of war, even in the ceasefire we are in. This is a moral outrage and consistent breach of international law, which we have seen for over two years.

In this so-called ceasefire phase, we cannot continue to facilitate the arming of a regime that has caused so much destruction and horror. We cannot accept the lack of accountability mechanisms that currently exists. We have talked and have had some debates, but we need to circle back and have a discussion on justice and accountability for Gaza, and what that really means in practice.

I just attended a briefing with some women from Colombia who are human rights defenders. We are approaching the tenth anniversary of the Colombian peace agreement in 2026. We have seen extreme gender-based violence and extreme levels of sexual violence. We are seeing across the globe a horrendous level of violence against civilians. We talk about Ireland's historic role in peacebuilding but we are losing that credibility when munitions are flying through Irish airspace. We do not see Ireland taking a proper, active role in leading accountability and justice mechanisms in the context of Gaza. I would like us to have a proper and meaningful discussion on the issue.