Ireland on Wednesday announced an emergency aid package of €13 million (approximately $13.7 million) for the people of Palestine.
Foreign Minister Micheal Martin announced on social media platform X that €10 million will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and €3 million will go to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“This is a crisis that simply cannot wait,” Martin said.
“This funding from Ireland will help the UN and others provide essential support to extremely vulnerable people, in particular those in Gaza who are dealing with acute and severe challenges,” he said in a statement released by the Foreign Ministry.
Noting that what the world is witnessing in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is “tragic and shocking,” he said, adding “I have said repeatedly that there should be a humanitarian ceasefire to meet the urgent basic needs of the people in Gaza.”
“It is essential that humanitarian relief is provided to those who need it,” he urged.
Gaza is already experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out.
At least 471 people were killed and 342 others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza late Tuesday, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Israel, however, has denied responsibility for the air raid.
The conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”
At least 3,478 Palestinians have so far been killed, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.