Taoiseach Simon Harris has called for a ceasefire in Gaza after the death toll in the region reached a grim new milestone.
“40,000 dead in Gaza is a milestone the world must be ashamed of,” Harris said in his post on X on Thursday, August 15.
“International diplomacy has failed to protect innocent children, some only days old.
“Israel needs to stop the bombings. Hamas needs to release the hostages. EU needs to review association agreement.
“Ceasefire now.”
40,000 dead in Gaza is a milestone the world must be ashamed of. International diplomacy has failed to protect innocent children, some only days old. Israel needs to stop the bombings. Hamas needs to release the hostages. EU needs to review association agreement. Ceasefire now
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 15, 2024
The Taoiseach responded following reports that Gaza's Health Ministry said on Thursday that the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza had reached 40,005.
The Associated Press added on Thursday: "Israel’s offensive has also wounded 92,401 people and displaced over 85% of the population from their homes, the ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its toll."
Citing an official update on Thursday from Gaza's Health Ministry, Al Jazeera reported that of the 40,005 people killed, 33% were children, 18.4% were women, and 8.6% were elderly people.
Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Thursday: "This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war."
The updated death toll was announced as a new round of ceasefire talks began in Doha. According to NPR, Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediators are expected to be present. Israel has agreed to participate in the talks, but Hamas spokesman Suhail al-Hindi told NPR the group will not take part in them.
The talks are based on the three-pronged plan US President Joe Biden put forth in May. Taoiseach Simon Harris called on all parties to give the plan "positive consideration," describing it as "an opportunity that should not be missed."
The Taoiseach's statement on Thursday reiterates points he made on Sunday, August 11 as the death toll in Gaza neared 40,000.
"There is growing evidence of a prolonged humanitarian catastrophe, and I am particularly disturbed by the confirmation this weekend by the United Nations that the number of aid deliveries reaching Gaza has halved, from a daily average of 169 trucks in April to fewer than 80 trucks a day in June and July," the Taoiseach said on Sunday.
"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also says that only 24 of 67 planned aid missions to northern Gaza this month have been facilitated by Israel.
"The United Nations has also assessed that more than 80 percent of the Gaza Strip has been placed under evacuation orders since October of last year.
"When people are told to leave, they have nowhere to go, so they often go to schools.
"490 of Gaza’s schools have been bombed or damaged since the start of the war, and this weekend’s images from inside al-Taba’een school are gut-wrenching. Ireland condemns outright such awful and wholesale loss of civilian life.
"A ceasefire remains urgently needed, and all sides must immediately work in good faith to bring one about.
"We have all been horrified by the many undoubted war crimes that have been committed in Gaza. There can be no impunity. Those responsible must be held to account.
"All the legally binding orders of the ICJ must also be implemented in full.
"Too many innocent lives have been lost in 10 months.
"The world is standing at the precipice of a horrific moment, and yet all levers to bring an end to the violence are not being used.
"I again call for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The Agreement contains human rights clauses, and I do not believe it is conscionable for the EU to continue to render them redundant.
"Ireland calls for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of Israeli hostages, and for aid trucks to flow unimpeded."
Comments