At least 22 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on a refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.
It is being reported that one of the attacks destroyed an entire building – killing people in the Jabaliya camp.
The Tánaiste has said the scenes unfolding “must stop.”
In a statement from the Dept of Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin said:
“An offensive by the Israeli Defence Forces, backed by tanks and air strikes, has left dozens of civilians dead, many close to starvation, and access to humanitarian aid extremely curtailed.
“An entire population is being encircled and forced out, with nowhere for them to go. This represents a mass expulsion of people from their homeland.”
Mr Martin spoke in no uncertain terms as he labeled this latest Israeli offensive a “war crime.”
He called on the international community to use “every lever at its disposal to pressure Israel to stop this war.”
“The UN and the world’s media must be allowed immediate access to witness what is happening. This war must end,” the Tánaiste said.
“I will be raising our profound concern and the urgency of bringing an end to this devastation at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Action Aid Ireland has called on the Irish Government to take immediate action.
It follows a UN report accusing Israel of aiming to destroy Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure.
Action Aid Ireland CEO, Karol Balfe, told Newstalk that as a country “we have our own obligations under the Genocide Convention to take action.”
“We should be putting every possible pressure on the United States to stop arms, the only thing that will make a difference right now is if America cuts off arms,” Ms Balfe continued.
“We need to see the Irish Government, the Taoiseach the Tánaiste put as much pressure as possible on the American government.“
