Tánaiste accuses Israel of war crimes after latest Gaza bombings
Beirut, By To Barja An Next Hit Of Building Lebanon Airstrike, Destroyed Israeli Village, In Gather People South
The Tánaiste has accused Israel of committing war crimes in northern Gaza.
Micheál Martin said the ongoing bombardment by Israeli forces at the refugee camp in Jabalia was "horrific", and that it and other attacks on northern Gaza must stop. At least 19 people have been reported dead in the camp after Israeli air attacks, including women and children, according the Hamas-run health ministry.
Mr Martin's comments came as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the United Nations to evacuate troops in its Unifil peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that the Israeli military had asked the UN to evacuate the soldiers repeatedly, adding that their presence in the area made them "hostages of Hezbollah". Several attacks by his forces on peacekeeping troops over the past week has been met with international outrage and condemnation.
On Saturday, it was reported by the United Nations that another peacekeeper was injured by gunfire in the country’s south, close to the UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura, the fifth peacekeeper to be hurt.
Overnight, in Northern Gaza, Israeli air and ground forces attacked Jabalia refugee camp, where the Israeli military says militants have regrouped.
Over the past year, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the built-up refugee camp. Israel has ordered the full evacuation of northern Gaza, including Gaza City. An estimated 400,000 people remain in the north after a mass evacuation ordered in the opening weeks of the war.
Mr Martin said that this was effectively mass expulsion and, thus, a war crime.
"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. It is a war crime, and the international community must 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.
"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, the commander of Irish peacekeepers in south Lebanon has describes the targeting and injuring of United Nations soldiers as "totally unacceptable".
Lieutenant Colonel Tom Fox told RTÉ that all Irish soldiers are safe and well, however he said they have been working in a "challenging operational environment" for the last three weeks.
"IDF operations are ongoing."
"The targeting and injuring of UN peacekeepers is totally unacceptable, and as a commander I am always aware of the dangers of peacekeeping, but I have ensured that adequate force protection measures are in place to ensure the safety of my peacekeepers."
He described morale among Irish peacekeepers as "good".
"It has been challenging. I am not going to deny that. Our troops are well trained, they are professional, their mental and physical resilience has been tested, but they have stood up to that test, and they are solely focused on remaining and getting the job done."