Micheál Martin condemns Israeli strike on Jabalia refugee camp

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has released a statement following the Israeli bombing of a refugee camp in Gaza yesterday.

The Israeli air raid on the Jabalia refugee camp in Northern Gaza, resulted in the deaths of more than 50 people, with 150 others wounded, according to a medical authorities and Palestinian officials in the besieged territory. The IDF have alleged that the strike was undertaken with the intention of targeting a senior Hamas commander.

"I am deeply shocked by the high casualties following the bombing by Israel yesterday of the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza." Martin's statement began.

"Ireland has made clear on many occasions that Israel's right to defend itself must be within the parameters of International Humanitarian Law."

Martin's sentiments follow a recent statement agreed upon and released by the E.U, which called for the establishment and preservation of vital humanitarian corridors, allowing much-needed aid and supplies to enter the territory. The E.U's statement, however, fell short of calling for a military ceasefire.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the recent statement signified the E.U's "evolving" position in relation to the conflict, stating that he was "confident" in the language contained within the statement — which could telegraph E.U requests for a cessation of military activity in Gaza in the near future.

"UNWRA said yesterday that more children have been killed in Gaza since 7 October than have been killed in all conflicts globally since 2019," Martin continued.

"We cannot allow this to continue. This has to stop."

As of the writing of this article, Al Jazeera reports that at least 8,796 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7th, and more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel.

Smoke and flames billow after Israeli forces struck a high-rise tower in Gaza City, October 7, 2023.

"We now urgently need a humanitarian ceasefire and a significant scaling up of humanitarian access to get vital supplies to civilians. "

"We cannot wait any longer..."

My statement on the situation in Gaza pic.twitter.com/ZMCH54CLJ9

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 1, 2023

Neighbouring Middle Eastern countries have also condemned the recent aerial strikes, with Qatar's government describing the strike as “a new massacre against the defenceless Palestinian people, especially women and children”, which signifies “a dangerous escalation in the course of confrontations."

Likewise, Saudi Arabia have also joined the United Arab Emirates in calling for a widespread denunciation of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, and the retaliatory strikes of the IDF — following Hamas's incursion into Southern Israel on October 7th.

The Saudi Arabian government have said: “The dangerous humanitarian conditions resulting from the continuous escalation cannot be justified at all, and sparing blood, protecting civilians, and stopping military operations are urgent priorities.”