An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-14
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Chris Andrews (SF), Labour Panel

I also extend my condolences to the family of Brian O'Shea.
I will highlight that in the past weekend the Global Sumud Flotilla has once again set sail from Barcelona to break Israel's illegal siege of Gaza. The flotilla will consist of over 70 boats carrying thousands of participants from over 100 different countries. They will be carrying medical aid and medical professionals to bring supplies into Gaza, where aid is still desperately needed. Every boat represents a failure by government of implementing international law and human rights. The individuals on the boats are looking to open up a humanitarian corridor and governments - the Irish Government, European governments and world governments - should be supporting this. They should be holding Israel to account because after years of outright genocide and decades of apartheid and economic suffocation, the people of Gaza have a non-existent healthcare system and continue to be denied foodstuffs and basic necessities. There is no ceasefire. Israel has not ended its collective punishment and starving of individuals. It has not stopped. It has continued to bomb Lebanon and create world havoc. I wish the participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla success. It is important that the Irish Government offer this flotilla protection unlike what it provided for other flotillas. It is really important it provides protection for the Global Sumud Flotilla and its humanitarian mission.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-14