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A man helps a wounded girl and a woman to an ambulance after an Israeli airstrikes at their building in Gaza City today. Adel Hana

Coveney tells Israeli ambassador that the loss of life in Gaza is 'completely unacceptable'

Coveney told the ambassador that Israel has a duty to adhere to international law.

LAST UPDATE | 11 May 2021

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Simon Coveney told the Israeli Ambassador at a meeting today that the loss of life in Gaza last night was “completely unacceptable”. 

Ambassador Ophir Kariv had been summoned to a meeting with minister after Israel unleashed new air strikes on Gaza, killing a number of militants and civilians.

As of last night, 28 Palestinians – including 10 children and a woman – were killed in Gaza, most by air strikes, health officials there said.

The Israeli military said at least 16 of the dead were militants. Two Israelis have been killed in rocket attacks from militants.

Last night Coveney tweeted that the cycle of violence must end, stating that Ireland will continue to raise concerns in the UN Security Council, where Ireland is now a member.

In a meeting that lasted 45 minutes this afternoon, the minister is understood to have reiterated Ireland’s firm stance that the loss of life among civilians in Gaza last night was completely unacceptable. 

He told the ambassador that Israel has a duty to protect civilians and comply with international humanitarian law.

The minister reiterated his condemnation of the firing of rockets from Gaza and the impact on Israeli civilians.

He urged the Israeli authorities to urgently take action to de-escalate the situation.

The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Ireland has condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, stating that intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population is a war crime under the Rome Statute.

He said the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have called on the International Criminal Court to speed up the processes surrounding their investigations of Israeli war crimes.

Ambassador Abdalmajid said: “Firing into a densely populated civilian area is obscene.  We have already seen 9 children and dozens more people killed, and watched the traumatic scenes today as their families buried them.  The international community must act now to sanction this apartheid regime.”

Green Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Senator Vincent P. Martin said the attacks in Gaza were an “extraordinary obscenity and it is deeply offensive for the Israeli security forces to turn a mosque on a holy site in Jerusalem into a battleground”.

“The totally disproportionate and aggressive military response from the Israeli security forces can only serve to fuel tensions and provoke further violence. However meeting the Israeli response with further violence will not resolve this crisis.

“The UN Security Council, the EU, US President Joe Biden and all democracies must use their collective influential voices to call out such aggressive, provocative acts and insist that same will not be tolerated.” 
 
Senator Martin commended the Irish Government for issuing a much needed and forthright statement yesterday when Coveney described developments as “shocking and aggressive”.

Confrontation escalates

The confrontation between Israel and Hamas escalated again this evening as Israel unleashed new air strikes on Gaza while militants barraged Israel with hundreds of rockets.

The exchange killed a number of militants and civilians in Gaza and at least three Israelis.

The barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip and air strikes into the territory continued almost non-stop throughout the day, in what appeared to be some of the most intense fighting between Israel and Hamas since their 2014 war.

The fire was so relentless that Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defence system seemed to be overwhelmed, while columns of smoke rose from many places in Gaza.

This evening, the violence extended to Tel Aviv, which came under fire from a barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s transportation authority said it was closing the country’s main international airport near the city.

Hamas said it launched a total of 130 rockets, its most intense strike so far, in response to Israel’s destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza earlier in the evening.

The sound of the outgoing rockets could be heard in Gaza. As the rockets rose into the skies, mosques across Gaza blared with chants of “God is great”, “victory to Islam” and “resistance”.

Since sundown on Monday, 28 Palestinians — including 10 children and a woman — have been killed in Gaza, most by air strikes, health officials there said. The Israeli military said at least 16 of the dead were militants.

With reporting by Press Association.

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    Mute mary carey
    Favourite mary carey
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    Aug 4th 2015, 5:31 PM

    While I’m not glad she’s gone, I’m glad she did not suffer. She was a gentle person who suffered greatly with grief after her husband passed. I’m glad she didn’t suffer

    478
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    Mute paul farrell
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    Aug 4th 2015, 5:37 PM

    Old Skool saturday evening TV, RIP cilla

    234
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    Mute Eamonn O'Regan
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    Aug 4th 2015, 5:32 PM

    Rest in peace, luv- and thank you for the music.

    223
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    Mute Eamon Mac Gowan
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    Aug 4th 2015, 8:13 PM

    @Eamonn O’Regan,
    Music? She sounded like a tomcat screeching.

    18
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    Mute Francid Dooley
    Favourite Francid Dooley
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    Aug 4th 2015, 11:33 PM

    Yes she was not a grate singer but that dident stop her. Don’t let your handy cap stop you.

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    Mute Stephanie Phillips
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    Aug 6th 2015, 11:17 AM

    That’s such a cruel comment to make about another human being but judging by your inability to spell correctly, not surprised!!!

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    Mute Francid Dooley
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    Aug 4th 2015, 5:34 PM

    Poor old cilla, all the best in the next place.

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    Mute tom
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    Aug 4th 2015, 6:27 PM

    If she entertained you all great but a casual review will tell you there were 2 Cilla’s.
    I’m sorry she’s died but I a bit perturbed by all this idolising. I think we need balance. Sorry to rain on anybody’s parade.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-444286/Surprise-Surprise–Cilla-nice-think.html

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    Mute Catherine
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    Aug 4th 2015, 6:54 PM

    I don’t think that’s a casual review. More like a bit of click bait for a well know rag.

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    Mute Philip Horan
    Favourite Philip Horan
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    Aug 4th 2015, 6:55 PM

    I think you’ll find it’s the same when every light entertainment figure dies. Nothing unusual about Cilla.

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    Mute Maria Conroy Byrne
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    Aug 4th 2015, 7:28 PM

    Funny how the interviewer could damn her completely in such a short space of time. It seems to me she was determined to write a negative article. I’m sure most of us have our good and bad days. RIP Cilla.

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    Mute Paul Dunne
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    Aug 4th 2015, 7:59 PM

    ah Tom is a Irish thing everyone is a great bit of stuff when they pop their clogs no matters how much of a bollix they where in life.

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    Mute Trevor Weafer
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    Aug 4th 2015, 11:08 PM

    TV legend. Remember always watching her on blind date as a kid. True show biz performer. RIP Cilla.

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    Mute OneTrueVoice
    Favourite OneTrueVoice
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    Aug 4th 2015, 8:21 PM

    Of the 151,232 people who died the same day as Cilla … I hope they all had a peaceful passing.

    Something close to 151,231 are not on our radar.

    Many were of old age and natural causes. But too many were young, oppressed, tortured and died a horrific unjust death. But we don’t really care, do we.

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    Mute Joe Harbison
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    Aug 4th 2015, 11:52 PM

    Don’t want to be picky but thats not a stroke, its a head injury. Irish coroners wouldn’t accept it as a stroke as there was head trauma. Stroke occurs due to the spontaneous occlusion or rupture of a cerebral vessel.

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    Mute Eamon Mac Gowan
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    Aug 4th 2015, 8:11 PM

    She made a tiny bit of talent go a very long way, also she was supposed to have been really obnoxious. She would not even speak to the builders who were doing up her house

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    Mute OneTrueVoice
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    Aug 4th 2015, 8:25 PM

    Makes Tubridy and O’Connor even more wondrous.

    They make zero talent go to infinity. Cilla wasn’t even in their league.

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    Mute Ruth McCann
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    Aug 4th 2015, 11:42 PM

    have a bit of respect! she was such a kind lady, loved her fans, and had more talent than you, you troll!

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    Mute Eamon Mac Gowan
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    Aug 5th 2015, 10:23 AM

    @Ruth McCann,
    Oh, so you knew her personally?

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    Mute Linny
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    Aug 4th 2015, 6:57 PM

    In other words she fell over in a happy stupor. How lucky is Cilla?

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    Mute tom
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    Aug 4th 2015, 6:29 PM

    There are plenty of similar articles on the net but I guess most fans won’t want to read them, which is fair enough.

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    Mute tom
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    Aug 4th 2015, 7:02 PM

    There are loads of these articles. Just google them.

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    Mute Mindfulirish
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    Aug 5th 2015, 3:49 AM

    If you can’t say anything good about the dead say nothing.

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