The death toll in Israel's ten-month assault on Gaza is a "milestone the world must be ashamed of", Taoiseach Simon Harris has said.
In a post on X, Mr Harris said "international diplomacy has failed to protect innocent children".
Mr Harris also called on Israel to stop its bombing campaign and for Hamas to release hostages taken during the 7 October attacks.
40,000 dead in Gaza is a milestone the world must be ashamed of. International diplomacy has failed to protect innocent children, some only days old. Israel needs to stop the bombings. Hamas needs to release the hostages. EU needs to review association agreement. Ceasefire now
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 15, 2024
He also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the conflict.
The UN human rights chief has also deplored the "grim milestone" and accused Israel's military of breaking the "rules of war".
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk blamed Israel for the soaring death toll in the territory, where it launched a fierce assault in response to deadly attacks by Hamas militants in October.
"Today marks a grim milestone for the world," Mr Turk said in a statement.
"Most of the dead are women and children. This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war," he added.
"The scale of the Israeli military's destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship is deeply shocking."
He said his office had documented "serious violations" of international humanitarian law by both the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas.
He reiterated a call for an immediate ceasefire and for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and of Palestinians "arbitrarily detained".
Ceasefire talks resumed in Qatar earlier.
Hamas's unprecedented 7 October attack on southern Israel triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.
