Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has said she is "deeply, deeply disgusted" by the European Union's decision to pause sanctions against Israel’s government.
Speaking to RTÉ’s European Parliament Report in Strasbourg, the Dublin representative stressed the importance of implementing the measures, even during the ceasefire.
"This is the very time when we need to ramp the pressure up on Israel. I’m scratching my head at the EU … They've just exited the international stage at a time when they should be front and centre," she said.
It comes after the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, indicated on Monday that the ceasefire had "changed the context", and as a result, the EU would not "move with the measures now."
However, she also maintained that the threat of sanctions on Israel remained.
"Unless we see real and sustained change on the ground, including more aid reaching Gaza, the threat of sanctions remains on the table," Ms Kallas told a press conference.
The proposed sanctions included a curb on trade ties with Israel and the blacklisting of several Israeli ministers.
They were announced by the EU executive last month after significant pressure from some member states over Israel’s devastating two-year offensive in Gaza, and the EU’s perceived lack of action.
Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty took a more cautious stance when asked if she believed suspending the sanctions was the right approach.
"I've mixed views as to whether sanctions at the moment would be counterintuitive," she said.
"Maybe there's a time and a place, and actually I think the time and place probably would've been months ago, not necessarily now."
"I think everything that we do now has to centre around keeping and holding the peace, and rebuilding lives for people who've gone through so much trauma in the last number of years."
Irish involvement in an International Stabilisation Force
Ireland’s potential involvement in a future Gaza peacekeeping mission is another issue drawing attention in recent days.
Among the objectives outlined in US President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan is the establishment of a new International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to secure peace in the enclave, including training and supporting a new Palestinian police force.
However, many of the key details of the proposed deployment remain unclear.
Ms Doherty said that she was broadly in favour of Irish involvement, while acknowledging the perceived challenges.
"I would very much agree with Ireland taking a leading role in peacekeeping, as we have done before.
"But obviously the elephant in the room is the Triple Lock. We know that the UN charter and the blocking actions by both the Americans and the Russians at the moment are making that ineffective," she said.
Ms Doherty has previously stated that she is in favour of "ending the outdated triple lock" as the "right move for our sovereignty and security".
Under existing rules, any foreign deployment of 12 or more Defence Forces personnel can only take place when it has been approved by the Dáil, the Government, and has received a United Nations Security Council mandate.
Ms Boylan, meanwhile, voiced concerns about the operational oversight and legality of the proposed ISF.
She said: "It's not embedded in international law. It's not embedded with the UN. Who is going to oversee this so-called stabilisation force?"
For Ms Doherty, the bottom line is clear. Any Irish involvement must be "rooted in an international legal framework first," she said.
