Ireland 'shocked' by casualties in refugee camp bombed by Israel, calls for truce in Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – The Irish foreign minister on Wednesday said he is "deeply shocked" by the casualties after an Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp, calling for a humanitarian cease-fire.

"Ireland has made clear on many occasions that Israel’s right to defend itself must be within the parameters of international humanitarian law," Micheal Martin said in a statement.

He noted that the principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality and precaution must be upheld and civilians must be protected.

Citing the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) figure that more children have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7 than have been killed in all conflicts globally since 2019, Martin said: "We cannot allow this to continue. This has to stop."

"We now urgently need a humanitarian ceasefire and a significant scaling up of humanitarian access to get vital supplies to civilians. We cannot wait any longer," added the Irish foreign minister.

Airstrikes on the refugee camp killed and injured hundreds of people, according to the Interior Ministry in the besieged enclave, which said Israel dropped six bombs on the residential area.

The Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise cross-border offensive on Oct. 7.

The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 8,525, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Tuesday.

More than 1,538 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.