Micheál Martin responds after Israeli airstrike kills 15 in Gaza: "The killing of civilians is never acceptable"

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he is "disturbed" after an airstrike in Israel, which saw 15 people killed in the Occupied Territories by the bombings.

The Palestinian health ministry said at least four children, five women, a dentist and his family were among those killed. Another 22 people were wounded, including three children and seven women, some of whom are in a serious and critical condition.

According to officials in Palestine, the targeted airstrikes occurred early on Tuesday.  "The killing of civilians, including children, is never acceptable," Tánaiste Micheál Martin said of the latest attack. "These acts risk escalating the situation and leading to further violence."

Statement by an Tánaiste & Minister for Foreign Affairs, @MichealMartinTD on Gaza and the occupied West Bank pic.twitter.com/uZAHrlqdCV

— Irish Foreign Ministry (@dfatirl) May 9, 2023

The Fianna Fáil leader also condemned an attack by Israel on a school in the West Bank over the weekend, saying, "such acts negatively impact essential education for Palestinian children. I urge Israel not to proceed with demolitions and to cease all settlement activities."

20 people were injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The airstrikes continued in the early hours, coming at a point of boiling tensions between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip.

This is linked in part to the increasing violence in the West Bank, where Israel have been conducting near-daily raids for months to detain Palestinians suspected of planning or carrying out attacks on Israelis.

Woke up to the news of 14 Palestinians killed last night by an Israeli airstrike. One is Dr. Jamal, a dentist, with his wife & son. My sister, Dr. Enas, works with Dr. Jamal in his dentistry clinic in central Gaza. She's been silent since then. We've all been shocked to the core.

— Malaka (@MalakaShwaikh) May 9, 2023

Three commanders in the al-Quds Brigades (Saraya al-Quds), the military branch of the Islamic Jihad, were killed along with their families in the initial raids. They were identified by the PIJ as Jihad Ghannam, al-Quds Brigades's general secretary, Khalil al-Bahtini, a northern Gaza commander, and Tareq Izzeldeen, a military commander.

In a brief statement, the Palestinian health ministry mourned Israel's killing of Jamal Khaswan, a well-known dentist and the chairman of al-Wafa Hospital's board of directors.

He was killed with his wife, Merfat Khaswan, and their child, Yousef Khaswan.

"The Ministry of Health mourns with great sadness Dr Jamal Khaswan, who was martyred at dawn today, alongside his wife and son, as a result of the brutal Zionist attack on Gaza City," the statement said. "Dr Khaswan was a man of great patriotic and medical dedication."

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland condemned the "unacceptable" killing of civilians.

"I condemn the deaths of civilians in the Israeli air strikes. This is unacceptable," Wennesland said.

Richard Hecht, army spokesman said that Israel, "achieved what we wanted to achieve" in the "operation". When questioned about child casualties, he said, "if there were some tragic deaths, we'll look into it."

Dr. Jamal Khaswan, the Director of AlWafa hospital was killed along with his wife and son (who studying to be a doctor) this dawn in Gaza from Israeli bombing of a nearby home. They’re survived by a daughter, seen in this video comforted by a paramedic. Death toll is now 13 pic.twitter.com/TsD9tbcUjZ

— Nour Odeh 🇵🇸 #NojusticeNopeace (@nour_odeh) May 9, 2023

It followed the death of prominent Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan in the occupied West Bank.

According to an Associated Press tally, 105 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the start of 2023.

At least 20 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel in the same period. At least 49 Palestinians were killed in the 2022 Israeli bombardment, including 17 children, and 360 others were wounded.

More than two million Palestinians are packed into Gaza, one of the world's most densely populated areas. Under blockade by Israel since 2006, the besieged coastal enclave has been described as "the world's largest open-air prison".

Israel withdrew its troops from the Strip in 2005, but maintains tight control of Gaza's airspace, land and sea borders, which has reduced its economy to a state of collapse.