58 Palestinians were killed on the deadliest day of violence since 2014.
Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard has called for the Irish government to formally recognise the state of Palestine.
As perviously reported, 58 Palestinians were killed yesterday when Israeli troops fired on protesters. Their funerals were held today.
2,400 other people were seriously injured during the incident.
The recent violence came as the US inaugurated its first embassy in Jerusalem. This step by the Trump administration was controversial because it broke with decades of US policy and infuriated Palestinians.
Both Palestinians and Israelis see Jerusalem as their capital, and sovereignty over the city is a core source of the tension in the region.
Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard was speaking at a demonstration held in London in solidarity with the people of Gaza when he called on the Irish government to formally recognise the state of Palestine.
He said: “The Sinn Féin team of MPs were at the demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza. What happened in Gaza yesterday was an atrocity. Dozens of unarmed protestors were murdered by the Israeli Army and thousands more injured. The brutality of the Israeli Army has been laid bare for all to see. We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine but words alone are not enough.”
He adds: “The international community cannot continue to stand idly by. Israel must be held to account for its illegal actions. Sinn Féin calls on the Irish government to take a lead internationally on this. There can be no impunity for barbaric state violence directed at peaceful protest. The Irish government should expel the Israeli Ambassador from Ireland in protest at these horrific events and the government should move immediately to formally recognise the state of Palestine.”
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