Tánaiste: Talks to bring about ceasefire in Gaza 'gone backwards'
People and health workers unearth bodies found at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Picture: AFP via Getty Images
Hopes of a ceasefire in Gaza are all but gone as Israel remains intent on mounting a ground invasion of the southern city of Rafah.
Talks to bring about a pause in the seven-month conflict have "gone backwards", according to Tánaiste Micheál Martin who said there is now a lack of political will on both sides.
"Our sense is that there is now an absence of political will, on the part of Hamas and on the part of Israel to get a ceasefire," Mr Martin told reporters in Jordan.
His comments came as Gaza suffered some of the heaviest strikes in weeks.
The Israeli army had ordered residents to evacuate parts of Beit Lahiya on Gaza's northern edge warning civilians that they are in a "dangerous combat zone".
Meanwhile, medics continued to unearth bodies in mass graves at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which has sparked international demands for an independent investigation into Israel’s raid on the facility.
Speaking in Jordan after he met with King Abdullah, Mr Martin again stressed the need for a ceasefire but said he is "pessimistic" that this will happen in the short term.
"All the meetings I've had since Monday are pessimistic on the prospect of an imminent ceasefire and we do seem to have gone backwards in respect of of the ceasefire."
Asked if he believes Israel will not agree to pause its attack until after a ground invasion of Rafah, Mr Martin said: " I don't want to be interpreting or endeavouring to analyse the strategies being deployed by anyone in this, but all I know is that the impact on humans and on families and on children and women will be catastrophic."
Mr Martin flew to Egypt earlier this week before travelling to the Gaza border at Rafah and then on to Jordan to discuss the mounting crisis across the Middle East.
The sense he got out of all the engagements he had in recent days with political counterparts is "negative in respect of the early prospects of ceasefire".
"I hope I'm wrong, that's very bad news," he said.
"I'm also worried about the prospects of an Israeli invasion of Rafah.
"We spoke to humanitarian workers — Gaza will not be able to sustain such an invasion, the humanitarian agencies in Rafah will not be able to sustain an invasion and there is an urgent need for the international community to make it very, very clear to Israel that an invasion cannot be countenanced.
"But what we're hearing is that Israel is contemplating an invasion," he said.
Mr Martin also raised concerns at the volume of aid that is not getting through the border into Gaza, but welcomed the announcement by Germany that it is to resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees.
At the Talbieh refugee camp in Jordan, UNRWA director of external relations, Tamara Alrifai commended Ireland for increasing funding at a time when other countries had pulled support.
"Ireland's advocacy has proved key to our ability to maintain funding from some European countries, to convince the European Union to disperse funding to UNRWA.
"The relationship of UNRWA with Ireland very much mirrors the principles of Ireland and its foreign policy to the Israel-Palestine war."
She said Ireland and Spain have been "very vocal" in their support and "through that joint advocacy other supportive European countries also came out and expressed their support — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency — I think of Portugal, Belgium and Slovenia and Malta".
"So we are extremely grateful for Ireland's advocacy, what we call third-party advocacy," she said.
