Taoiseach Micheál Martin has signed a joint statement alongside a number of European Union and non-EU European leaders condemning what they have described as "the man-made humanitarian catastrophe taking place before our eyes in Gaza".
The strongly-worded statement was signed by the Taoiseach, as well as the leaders of Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain.
It was agreed during a sideline meeting at a summit in Albania, which Mr Martin did not attend due to the funeral today of Garda Kevin Flatley.
The statement reads that Mr Martin and other leaders "will not be silent" over what is happening "before our eyes in Gaza".
It states that "more than 50,000 men, women and children have lost their lives" and that "many more could starve to death in the coming days and weeks unless immediate action is taken".
The statement continues that the leaders who have signed it "call upon the government of Israel to immediately reverse its current policy, refrain from further military operations and fully lift the blockade" on Gaza, adding that UN and humanitarian groups must be given "safe and unimpeded access".
The statement, which can be read in full below, concludes that "we must assume the responsibility to stop this devastation".
The statement was released a day after Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris called for a review of the EU-Israel association agreement, and just over a week after Taoiseach Micheál Martin described what is happening in Gaza as "a war crime".
Blockade sees Irish aid for Gaza held up for two months
Meanwhile, two consignments of Irish humanitarian aid have been held up in a warehouse in Jordan for the past two months.
The aid has been blocked by Israel from reaching the Palestinian population in Gaza.
Both consignments had been given approval to enter Gaza in March but were unable to so following the imposition of the blockade ten weeks ago.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to RTÉ's News at One that the two consignments of aid are currently being stored in warehouses in Amman, Jordan.
"Aid provided by Ireland is impeded by the same restrictions affecting all humanitarian aid to Gaza," the spokesperson said.
"Ireland's embassy in Jordan is maintaining close engagement with its partners who will arrange transport as soon as possible."
The spokesperson said Ireland was "deeply concerned at the ongoing denial of humanitarian access in Gaza, with a high risk of famine now persisting across the Strip".
This week UN-backed food security experts warned that 2.3 million Gazans remain at "critical risk of famine".
It has been over 70 days since deliveries stopped of all aid and commercial supplies into Gaza.
'More than two months of not a single drop of water'
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said this is "the most critical point" for the people of Gaza and is the moment that everyone who is still alive has feared.
Speaking to RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, he said there is widespread starvation and a risk of famine, even though hundreds of aid trucks are waiting across the border.
"More than two months of not a single drop of water. Blockades, bombings, children starving - somehow this has been normalised," he said.
"We are at the most critical point for Gaza ... if we're looking at potentially a ground offensive, this is the moment that every person in Gaza who is still alive has absolutely feared."
Mr Elder said that while a recent ceasefire led to a "huge improvement" in nutrition, the only thing that has been entering Gaza for the last two months now is bombs.
He was critical of a proposed plan to allow aid to be distributed at a number of designated collection points.
"You can't force a population into an area that is not demilitarised and nowhere is demilitarised - only a ceasefire does that," he said.
"You can't expect the injured - and there's a lot of injured in Gaza - to go to a few collection points. You can't expect children, you can't expect pregnant women. We're talking about a handful of collection points versus the 400 the UN had.
"We're also talking about just food at the moment ... we're not talking drugs, we're not talking incubators, we're not talking support for pregnant women. So the vulnerable, the elderly, those with disabilities can't get there and there's no guarantee at all for those moving there that they won't be targeted."
Mr Elder said the "simple alternative" is to lift the blockade and allow aid in, adding that the only way to end the conflict is through negotiations.
He also said the hostages should not be overlooked and it is "abhorrent" that they were taken in the first place.
"We should be appalled by the inaction and the endless, endless delays. The suffering is not complicated, the solutions are not complex ... the reality is that those who have the power have the ability to stop this."
