People in “positions of influence” must “break their silence” and appeal for a ceasefire in Gaza, President Michael D Higgins has said.
Israel continued its air attacks and resumed ground operations in Gaza on Wednesday, a day after resuming its offensive on the Palestinian territory with air strikes that the Hamas-run health ministry said killed more than 400 people on Tuesday.
Mr Higgins said: “The gravity of what is now unfolding in Gaza – the loss of so many lives, including those of women and children – must be recognised and addressed.
“The credibility of all those who present as strong advocates for international law and humanitarian action is called into question and indeed strongly compromised by any silence in the face of what appears to be the real danger of the potential loss of the second phase of a ceasefire in the conflict.”
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Mr Higgins called for people in positions of influence to “break their silence” and “appeal for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be re-established and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally”.
He said Palestinian families who are providing vital services in so many parts of Irish society are not alone in finding it “incomprehensible that a siege that deprives families, including women and children, of water, food and essential medicines is able to operate without the slightest condemnation from some of those who claim to be supporters of humanitarian principles and international law”.
In his statement released by Áras an Uachtaráin on Wednesday, the President did not specify who he considers to be silent on the matter.
He noted the Irish Government has “strongly condemned the renewed violence”.
[ Israeli military says it has begun new ground operation in GazaOpens in new window ]
Mr Higgins said any approach that leaves condemnation to a few countries such as Ireland will “rightly be seen” by future generations as having been, by their silences, “complicit in collective punishment and of having privileged the threat of war above measures aimed at reducing or ending the loss of human life”.
He also said: “It cannot be left to institutions such as the United Nations and NGOs [non-governmental organisations] to express their outrage at what are clear breaches of humanitarian and human rights law.
“There is responsibility on all those who hold elected office not only to be aware of, but to comment on the continuing outrage that the escalation in the loss of civilian life and infrastructure represents. The retention of hostages is of course a clear continuing breach of international law and they must be released,” he said.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said fresh Israeli airstrikes and a new ground operation on Wednesday brought “fresh suffering to the people of Gaza and have breached the ceasefire”.
He described the return to hostilities as “disastrous” for the people of Gaza, and for the hostages and their families.
Mr Harris called on humanitarian aid to resume into Gaza immediately and for UN and other humanitarian workers to be protected as they carry out their work.
“Attacks on UN facilities are a violation of international humanitarian law,” he said. “The international community cannot accept this step backwards. We need an urgent end to hostilities.
“I urge all parties to return to talks aimed at implementing the second phase of the ceasefire and hostage release deal. This means meeting their commitments in full, leading to a release of all hostages and a resumption of humanitarian aid at scale.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its new strikes were against terrorist targets.
About 100,000 Palestinians are estimated to be affected by a series of evacuation orders issued by the IDF in the last 24 hours.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said late on Tuesday that the strikes were “only the beginning” and that future negotiations with Hamas “will take place only under fire”.
Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching the truce that had broadly held since January and offered respite for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza.
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, died in the shock Hamas incursion into Israel in October 2023 that triggered the war. The Israeli offensive in Gaza has killed more than 49,000, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza health ministry figures.
Mr Netanyahu and other Israel officials said the decision to renew attacks in Gaza came after Hamas had rejected proposals for a 30- to 60-day extension of the first phase of the three-phase ceasefire.
The first phase came into effect in January but expired earlier this month. They consulted with the Trump administration before the strikes went ahead.
Hamas, which still holds 59 of about 250 hostages seized in the October 2023 attack, says it wants to conclude the three-phase ceasefire deal as signed. More than half of the hostages are thought to be dead. – Additional reporting: Guardian
