President Michael D Higgins has condemned attacks on aid convoys providing humanitarian relief to Gaza.
Israeli protesters blocked aid trucks headed for Gaza yesterday, throwing food packages on the road in the latest in a series of incidents that have come as Israel has pledged to allow uninterrupted humanitarian supplies into the besieged enclave.
In a statement today, President Higgins said that all those who support human rights, humanitarian relief, the United Nations and its charter must be appalled at the attacks which are being witnessed on aid convoys providing vital humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
"Two incidents on Monday alone demonstrated the appalling circumstances which aid workers are facing.
"In Rafah, a vehicle clearly marked with the United Nations emblem came under fire, killing a UN staff member and injuring others.
"On the same day at the Tarqumiya checkpoint west of Hebron in the Occupied West Bank, a convoy was surrounded by a mob with food packages thrown on the road and bags of grain ripped open."
President Higgins said the attacks are taking place at a time when people are suffering from starvation and it must be condemned by all those who believe in humanitarian principles.
"Silence on this matter would reflect badly on any member of the European Union."
Yesterday, the US raised with Israel an incident of protesters blocking aid trucks headed for Gaza, US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said, adding that humanitarian assistance into the enclave should not be impeded.
President Higgins said that Human Rights Watch today issued a report demonstrating how the incidents are not isolated.
"In the report, HRW have detailed at least eight strikes carried out on aid workers' convoys and premises in Gaza since October 2023, even though aid groups had provided their coordinates to the Israeli authorities to ensure their protection."
He said those strikes led to at least 31 aid workers and those with them being killed or injured.
"In total, the United Nations has said that more than 250 aid workers have been killed in Gaza over the course of the conflict," he added.
Mr Higgins' comments come as Israeli tanks pushed deeper into eastern Rafah today, reaching some residential districts.
Israel is stepping up an offensive in the southern border city where more than a million people had been sheltering after being displaced in seven months of war.
Israel's international allies and aid groups have repeatedly urged against a ground incursion into refugee-packed Rafah, warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Israel's operations in Rafah have set back efforts at trying to reach a ceasefire in talks that are being mediated by Qatar and Egypt, although it would continue to negotiate.
Israel has vowed to press on into Rafah even without the support of allies, saying its operation is necessary to root out four remaining Hamas battalions holed up in the city.
