Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
24 Aug 2025 17:42
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Michael Higgins has renewed his call for international military intervention in Gaza to ensure the transfer of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Strip.

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Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023 (AP)

Irish President Michael Higgins has once again called for international military intervention in Gaza to ensure the transfer of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Strip, condemning what he described as an unfolding “genocide”.

In an interview for Ireland’s public broadcaster RTE on Saturday, as reported by Ynet, Higgins referred to the war as a "tragic period" in modern history, particularly in light of a UN-affiliated report over the weekend that cited “a famine epidemic” in Gaza City. The report’s findings, which "Israel" has dismissed and criticized, were cited by Higgins to illustrate what he called a descent into “the realm of non-accountability.”

Higgins urged the global community to take decisive action to guarantee humanitarian access into Gaza, stressing that efforts by "Israel", such as airdrops and temporary ceasefires, have been inadequate and largely symbolic.

The Irish president invoked Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter, which authorizes the Security Council to enforce peace through military means, arguing that the UN General Assembly could bypass the council’s veto authority.

“If a certain proportion of the committee of the General Assembly supported it, even if the Security Council uses the veto to block it, the Secretary-General can call for a force to be put together to guarantee humanitarian access,” Higgins said.

Emphasis on humanitarian crisis, child trauma

Recalling previous visits to Gaza and the West Bank, Higgins reflected on the devastating psychological toll on Palestinian children.

“One of the things that moved me most was reading a medical report that showed that Palestinian children are more traumatized by the humiliation of their parents than by the death of either,” he said.

“We are now in a position of seeing the nadir of human behavior… children are deprived of medicine, and mothers are deprived of water and the necessary means of addressing malnutrition as they watch their children die,” Higgins said.

He called for “practical actions that cannot wait until September to be addressed.”

Higgins’ longstanding anti-'Israel' stance, political legacy

Higgins, now 84 and nearing the end of his nearly 14-year presidency, has consistently been critical of "Israel", particularly since the escalation of the war on Gaza. Throughout his years as Ireland's head of state, he has become a vocal figure in shaping Dublin's foreign policy tone.

Ireland formally recognized the State of Palestine in May 2024, prompting "Israel" to close its embassy in Dublin. Subsequently, the Irish government moved to criminalize the import of goods from settlements in the occupied West Bank.