Israel carried out its most intense strikes on Gaza since the ceasefire in January

Taoiseach and UN condemn strikes, urge ceasefire talks

18 Mar 2025, 09:57 · RTE.ie

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has condemned Israel's airstrikes across Gaza this morning which has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, and said there must be an urgent end to all hostilities in the enclave.

Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza. The health ministry in Gaza has said that the death toll from the strikes has risen to at least 413.

The strikes have also prompted condemnation from senior UN figures, as well as Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan.

"For the sake of the civilians in Gaza, who have already ensured unimaginable hardships, there must be an urgent end to all hostilities," Mr Martin said.

"I call on all parties to respect the ceasefire and hostage release deal, and to return to talks aimed at implementing the second phase of the deal. They should implement their commitments in full.

Damage following the airstrikes is seen in the Shejaiya residential district, east of Gaza City

"The remaining hostages must be released. Their families have suffered for too long. I have consistently called for the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza.

"There needs to be an immediate resumption of humanitarian access to the people of Gaza, and at scale. This is not only an obligation under international humanitarian law but a moral imperative.

"I urge all sides to step back from the brink of the resumption of all-out war and to instead focus on agreeing a permanent end to the fighting and on a pathway to peace."

The UN's human rights chief earlier said that he was horrified by the Israeli strikes on Gaza which Palestinian authorities say have killed hundreds, collapsing a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

"I am horrified by last night's Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza, which killed hundreds, according to the Ministry of Health in the strip. This will add tragedy onto tragedy," said High Commissioner Volker Turk in a statement.

"Israel's resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions."

UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk said the strikes will add tragedy onto tragedy

UN chief Antonio Guterres is "shocked" by the airstrikes and urged that a ceasefire be respected, a spokesperson has said.

"He strongly appeals for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be re-established, and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally," the spokesman said.

Israel has vowed to continue fighting in Gaza until the return of all hostages as it unleashed its most intense strikes since a truce took effect on 19 January.

The initial phase of the ceasefire, which was brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.

Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza.

The health ministry in Gaza has said that the death toll from the strikes has risen to at least 413.

"So far, 413 martyrs have arrived in hospitals in the Gaza Strip," a health ministry statement said, adding: "A number of victims are still under the rubble and work is underway to recover them."

Hamas, which has not responded to the strikes so far, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deciding to "resume war" after an impasse in truce negotiations, and warned that the return to fighting could be a "death sentence" for hostages still alive in Gaza.

The aid agency Red Cross has said that Gaza medical facilities are "overwhelmed" after the Israeli strikes.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris has said that the strikes were "deeply disturbing".

Meanwhile, Turkey has denounced Israel's strikes on Gaza as "a new phase" in its "genocide policy".

It said that the Israeli government defied humanity through its breach of international law.

"The massacre of hundreds of Palestinians in Israel's attacks on Gaza ... demonstrates that the Netanyahu government's genocide policy has entered a new phase," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Egypt has also condemned the strikes, saying that they violate the ceasefire agreement and constitute a dangerous escalation in the conflict.