Pro-Palestinian protests took place in cities across the world while Israel bombarded Beirut with the heaviest offensive yet in Lebanon on Sunday, as one year passed since the Hamas attack sent the Middle East into a deadly spiral of violence.
Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Gazan health ministry, since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 captured as hostages.
While demonstrations against the Gazan offensive took place from Rabat in Morocco to Jakarta in Indonesia, Washington DC and New York in the US, and Cork and Dublin, the Lebanese capital came under its most intense bombardment since tensions ramped up between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Israeli leadership in recent weeks.
Residents of Lebanon’s capital Beirut described how the might of the Israeli offensive seemed like an earthquake, such was its ferocity.
The US and other allies have supported Israel’s right to self-defence, but Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the October 7 assault by Hamas.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin used the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack to express sympathy to those who were killed and those taken hostage, but warned that the attack cannot justify the escalation by Israel since.
The Foreign Affairs Minister highlighted Kim Damti — who was Irish-Israeli and was killed on October 7 — and Emily Hand who was kidnapped by Hamas but later released after 50 days in Gaza. However, he said:
“Ireland’s position is clear and on the record. The violence must stop,” he added.
Mr Martin said that an immediate ceasefire is required, alongside “massive scaling up” of aid into Gaza and release of all hostages.
President Michael D Higgins condemned the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for what he called “outrageous threats” directed at peacekeepers, including Irish troops, in Lebanon.
The IDF in recent days had suggested that UN troops in the country vacate their positions ahead of the commencement of “limited incursions” by Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory. However, that suggestion has since been rebuffed by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).
The UN has written directly to Israel to express its concern regarding the IDF’s close firing proximity to the UN post in southern Lebanon, which is being manned by Irish troops. Firing from the Israeli position continued through the weekend, which the UN has claimed puts peacekeepers at risk.
Taoiseach Simon Harris described the ongoing situation in the Middle East as being “extremely volatile”, particularly highlighting the conflict in southern Lebanon as being “extraordinarily dangerous”.
Mr Harris said that the safety of Irish troops is being kept “under constant review”.
The Taoiseach called for de-escalation, describing the current situation as a “major moment of jeopardy in this region”.
“The scale of civilian loss of life already, the scale of civilian displacement already, is really off the charts,” Mr Harris said.
Israel has sharply escalated its attacks on Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah in recent weeks, following a year of lower level cross-border conflict waged in parallel with Israel’s war against Palestinian militants Hamas, also backed by Iran, after the October 7 attacks last year.
Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has prompted some of the biggest global demonstrations in years, including in the US, which saw weeks of pro-Palestinian college campus encampments.
Advocates have raised concerns over antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric in some protests and counter-protests related to the conflict. Rights advocates have warned about rising threats against Jews and Muslims around the world.
- Additional reporting Reuters
