Ireland calls Israel’s war in Gaza ‘collective punishment’
“We believe that the response has been fully disproportionate and has also been, in our view, a breach of humanitarian law in terms of the destruction of Gaza and also in terms of the killing of civilians, innocent men, women and children,” Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin says.
“The population of Gaza has been collectively punished because of the activities of Hamas, that’s not acceptable,” he said ahead of a EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
Martin said Ireland and Spain are calling for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which is based on trade relations with Israel.
Ministers will discuss a proposed Gaza peace plan, the recognition of a Palestinian state, and humanitarian aid issues, he added.
Rafah’s displaced Palestinians brace for ‘the next steps of the war’
On the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover, Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “deliver additional and painful blows” to Hamas in Gaza.
“In the coming days, we will increase the military and political pressure on Hamas because this is the only way to free our hostages,” he said in a video statement. Israel estimates 129 captives remain in Gaza, including 34 who the military says are dead.
The army has said at least some of the captives are held in southern Rafah, with Israel threatening a ground invasion of the area where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement that “the chief of staff has approved the next steps for the war”, without offering details. “On Passover, it will be 200 days of captivity for the hostages… We will fight until you return home to us,” he said.
Gaza death toll hits 34,151 as Israel army announces war’s ‘next step’
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the Israeli military onslaught has reached 34,151. Another 77,084 have been wounded, the Health Ministry says.
The death toll is likely far higher with thousands believed buried under the rubble of buildings demolished in Israeli strikes. Among the dead are more than 14,500 children and 9,500 women, Gaza’s media office says.
