Taoiseach: Israel's attack on Gaza 'wholly disproportionate'
Conflict Israel Between Martin "clear" Government's Addresses On And Taoiseach Gaza The Position The Irish Micheál
The Irish government has called for the conflict in Israel and Palestine to de-escalate, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said today.
In a short video, the Taoiseach took to Twitter to discuss the "appalling violence" going on in the Middle East.
“Like you, and many others across the world, I’ve been absolutely horrified at the terrible violence in the Middle East over the course of the last week,” he said.
“The Irish Government position is clear: we call on all sides to de-escalate and to stop the violence.
“Whether it’s the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas, or the wholly disproportionate response by Israeli government forces. It simply has to stop.
"The world is appalled as it watches on at the killing of so many innocent civilians.
“It must stop - and it must stop now.”
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According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, almost 200 people have died in Gaza as of this morning, including at least 58 children. In addition, 1,235 Palestinians have been injured.
The Israeli Defense Forces said that 10 Israelis have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza.
The Israeli military has unleashed a wave of heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed nine miles of militant tunnels and the homes of nine alleged Hamas commanders.
The latest attacks killed a local Gaza leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group, according to the Israeli military, which blamed him for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel.
Gaza’s mayor Yahya Sarraj told Al-Jazeera TV that the airstrikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure.
“If the aggression continues we expect conditions to become worse,” he said.
He also warned that the territory was running low on fuel and other spare parts.
The UN has warned that Gaza’s sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel.
The territory already experiences daily power outages of eight to 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable.
The war broke out last Monday when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the Holy City between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police.
The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint holy site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.
Since then, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes that it says are targeting Hamas’ militant infrastructure.
Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,100 rockets into Israel.
Eight people in Israel have been killed in rocket attacks launched from Gaza, including a five-year-old boy and a soldier.