'Collective punishment' of Palestinians unacceptable, says Ireland

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) — Ireland's foreign minister on Monday called the "collective punishment" of Palestinians by Israel following the Oct. 7 attack "not acceptable," saying Israel's response was not proportionate.

"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," Michael Martin said in a doorstep speech ahead of a EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting.

"We believe that cannot be justified," Martin said and added: "The population of Gaza has been collectively punished because of the activities of Hamas, that's not acceptable."

He said Israel has "not been listening" to the EU and US, urging that it was "time that Israel pull back and stop this, and then we get the cease-fire, get the hostages released and get some good humanitarian aid in as fast as we possibly can."

The minister added that Ireland and Spain would be calling for a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which forms the legal basis governing the bloc's trade relations with Israel, during the meeting.

He also said the ministers would discuss the current situation with regard to a peace plan, as well the recognition of a Palestinian state, and humanitarian aid issues.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 34,097 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 76,980 injured since then, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.