Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said he is outraged at the resumption of the war in Gaza.
Israel has resumed its deadly bombardment, vowing to destroy suspected Hamas positions in the densely-inhabited Palestinian territory after a week-long truce expired despite global calls for its extension.
Israel.
Israel accused militants of firing a rocket shortly before the pause was due to come to an end, but the United Nations expressed dismay at the resumption of hostilities.
The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip said more than 100 people had been killed since the truce ended at 5am.
Mr Martin said he condemns the bombardment of the territory by the Israeli military, but he also condemned the actions of Hamas.
Speaking in Dundalk in Co Louth this morning, he said he wanted to "articulate my feeling of outrage at the resumption of the war".
"I condemn the bombardment that's now under way. I condemn the actions of Hamas also."
Mr Martin said his "sense of outrage" is based on "the extraordinary suffering that the most vulnerable in Gaza are now experiencing".
"The scale of this war has been extraordinary and immense in terms of the level of bombing that has taken place already, the degree to which large parts of Gaza has been flattened," he added.
The Tánaiste said: "The proportionality and necessity conditions that apply in respect of international humamitarian law, in my view, have not been fulfilled.
"Most people are horrified at the impact of this war on children and innocent civilians and there is a fundamental duty to protect innocent civilians.
"And we know so far that the scale of bombardment has been such that civilians have not been protected to any extent as a result of the conduct of this war."
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Mr Martin renewed the Irish Government's call for a humanitarian ceasefire "on all sides".
He added: "We do need to build a pathway to peace so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in harmony together, that's the only future ultimately here."
The Tánaiste said he understands that Israel has a right to go after Hamas and deal with Hamas in terms of the "horrific attack" on Israeli citizens 7 October.
However, he said: "The scale and level of bombardment and bombing that we've witnessed, in my view, is not justified any further and cannot go on."
Additional reporting: AFP
