Ireland, Spain to call for review of EU trade ties deal with ‘Israel'
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Ireland's Foreign Minister has voiced criticism against Israeli actions in Gaza, branding them as "disproportionate".
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Ireland's Foreign Minister Michael Martin waving his hands at supporters in 2020. (AFP)
Ireland's Foreign Minister Michael Martin has criticized Israeli actions in Gaza as "disproportionate" ahead of an EU foreign ministers council meeting on Monday.
He further stated that Palestinians in the enclave have faced collective punishment, which stands as a violation of international humanitarian law.
“We believe that the response has been fully disproportionate and has also been, in our view, a breach of humanitarian law in terms of the destruction of Gaza and also in terms of the killing of civilians, innocent men, women and children,” Martin stressed.
The Minister announced that Ireland and Spain will advocate for a reassessment of the EU-"Israel" Association Agreement, which primarily focuses on trade relations with "Israel".
Additionally, he mentioned that the ministers will deliberate on a proposed peace plan for Gaza, the acknowledgment of a Palestinian state, and concerns regarding humanitarian aid.
199 days of Israeli aggression, 34,151 killed, 77,084 injured in Gaza
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli aggression since October 7 has risen to 34,151, in addition to 77,084 injuries, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported.
In 24 hours only, the Israeli occupation committed 6 massacres against families in Gaza, killing 54 and injuring 104, said the Ministry, adding that some of the victims remain under the rubble and on the streets, as the occupation hinders the search and rescue missions, preventing the ambulance and civil defense teams from approaching the affected areas.
In a recent development, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that Israeli warplanes launched a series of intense airstrikes on the al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, in addition to al-Mughraqa in the central Gaza Strip.
Israeli artillery shelling targeted the eastern part of the al-Maghazi camp in central Gaza, simultaneously with an Israeli airstrike targeting the al-Mawasi area and the southeastern part of Khan Younis.
In the central Gaza Strip, several Palestinians were killed and others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the al-Taqwa Mosque in the al-Bureij refugee camp, while another Israeli airstrike targeted the northern part of the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Additionally, a number of Palestinians were injured as a result of Israeli shelling targeting the surroundings of the al-Sawarha cemetery in the Nuseirat refugee camp and a residential house in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
