Ann Sherlock

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros]

We've reached an awful and grim moment in #Gaza.

@WFP food supplies inside the Strip have run out, even though there is enough food to feed a million people positioned in aid corridors but cannot reach those in need.

The situation is the same with medical supplies. They are running out, while 16 @WHO trucks wait to enter.

This aid blockade must end. Lives depend on it.

[World Food Programme @WFP]

WFP has fully depleted its food stocks in #Gaza.

Today, the last supplies were delivered to hot meal kitchens — Gaza’s only steady source of food for weeks. These kitchens will run out of ingredients in the coming days.

Read full statement.🔗https://t.co/OQCpJQcMfg

[Philippe Lazzarini @UNLazzarini]

How much longer until hollow words of condemnation will translate into action to lift the siege, resume a ceasefire & save whatever is left of humanity?

It’s been 5️⃣0️⃣ days of siege on #Gaza imposed by the Israeli authorities.

Hunger is spreading & deepening, deliberate & manmade.

Gaza has become a land of desperation.

Two million people: a majority of women & children are undergoing collective punishment.

The wounded, sick & elderly are deprived of medical supplies & care.

Meanwhile, humanitarian organisations have assistance ready to get into Gaza. This includes nearly 3,000 @UNRWA trucks of lifesaving aid.
Basic supplies meant for people in need are expiring.

Humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip + a weapon of war.

The siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume.

[UN Humanitarian @UNOCHA]

#Gaza is suffocating.

It has been almost 50 days of total aid blockade.

“This is deprivation by design.”
- @_jwhittall

⬇️⬇️⬇️

[Ann Sherlock @aber_ann]

@MichaelRosenYes I think you help so many people. Sometimes just knowing that there are people who are principled and compassionate like you shines a light in the darkness of a crazy world

[Tom Fletcher @UNReliefChief]

Outrageous attack on UN. We grieve with @UNOPS_Chief & colleagues.

We are in Gaza to save lives, not lose them.

International community must defend humanitarians and demand genuine investigation and accountability for violations of international law.

https://t.co/uxJVcvLDkr

[Itay Epshtain @EpshtainItay]

3/3 Well before October 2023 Gaza suffered a power deficit imposed by Israel. Today's order curtailing all power supply is in serious breach of Israel's obligations and will lead to further deprivation and starvation of the people of Gaza.

[Save the Children UK @savechildrenuk]

Over the weekend the Government of Israel blocked all aid into Gaza, making an already dangerous situation even more desperate.

Nearly all 1.1 million children are in dire need of food & water.

We are urging the UK Government to use its power & influence to lift the blockade.

[ICRC in Israel & OT @ICRC_ilot]

https://t.co/lLpaFEUHW6

[Philippe Lazzarini @UNLazzarini]

🛑 Children + young people in East Jerusalem denied of their right to education in @UNRWA schools.

Today, Israeli Forces & personnel from the Jerusalem Municipality have forcefully entered the UNRWA Kalandia Training Centre and ordered its immediate evacuation.
At least 350 students and 30 staff were present and impacted.
Tear gas and sound bombs were fired.

Also, this morning, Israeli police officers, accompanied by staff from the Jerusalem Municipality went to UNRWA schools ordering their closure.

Today’s incidents have impacted 250 children in three UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem, +350 trainees in the Kalandia Training Centre, a large United Nations compound.

This is a violation of the basic right to #education as well as of United Nations privileges & immunities.

Children’s access to education must be preserved + United Nations facilities must be protected and respected at all times wherever they are.

[Michael Rosen 💙💙🎓🎓 NICE 爷爷 @MichaelRosenYes]

I sometimes fear that people might think that fascism arrives in fancy dress worn by grotesques and monsters... http://t.co/1D6UL16Xof

[Michael Rosen 💙💙🎓🎓 NICE 爷爷 @MichaelRosenYes]

This book is co-written by one of the owners of the Jerusalem bookshop and who's been detained by the police. One way to show solidarity is to buy the book.

[The Elders @TheElders]

Chair of The Elders, @JuanManSantos, on #Gaza: "President Trump’s suggestion that the US “take over” Gaza and re-settle the Palestinian population risks plunging the whole Middle East back into deadly conflict. Any such aggression or mass forced displacement would be a flagrant violation of international law. Peace and security will only come when Israelis and Palestinians are both able to live in their homelands with dignity."

[Michael Rosen 💙💙🎓🎓 NICE 爷爷 @MichaelRosenYes]

If you want to read all this, you can click on it.

[Norway MFA @NorwayMFA]

Gaza is in ruins, @UNRWA is needed more than ever, it is crucial for implementing the ceasefire in Gaza.

Today, Norway is transferring $ 24.5 mill to UNRWA’s efforts for 6 mill. Palestine refugees in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Read more: https://t.co/SNFTMuVHK4

[Ann Sherlock @aber_ann]

@clothofnature @wildflower_hour That's a lovely idea. Thanks.

[Frances Black @frances_black]

I've been inundated today with questions about the Occupied Territories Bill, so let me get a few things clear.

Firstly, it makes no real difference whether Government passes my legislation, or comes forward with its own. I honestly don’t care who gets the credit for it, or whose name is on the end of a Bill. I have been fighting for this bill since 2018 for one reason – because I firmly believe that it is the right thing to do. The settlements are totally illegal, rob families of their land, and undermine the prospects for peace. We say this again and again, but then trade in the proceeds of the crime. It is hypocritical and has to stop!

What actually matters is the policy. Whether it is my Bill, or a Govt Bill, the key thing is: will it implement a *full ban on all trade* with the illegal settlements? Will it do what is required of us under international law, as made crystal clear by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), or will there be carve outs or exemptions or a watering down? This is the one question every journalist, activist and politician should be asking when the Dáil reconvenes, and when any legislation is moved forward – regardless of who has sponsored it.

Second, many commentators would like us to forget about international law, so I am going to remind them. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court in the world, issued an historic finding. It found that not only is the occupation illegal, that the settlements are illegal, but that there is a legal “obligation” on all states not to trade with them. This is a clear requirement set out by the highest court in the world. The question now is whether we will take it seriously.

The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have both referred to these “obligations”, and I’m glad to see this recognition. The PfG also commits to following the ICJ. But the court was absolutely clear: states must “abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings” and “prevent trade or investment relations” with Israel regarding the occupied territories and the illegal settlements (para 278). There is no ambiguity here. They do not separate this out into physical goods on the one hand and services on the other, because it is not the 1950s. Trade means trade. We cannot just attempt to ignore one aspect of this because it is politically more challenging.

What we are asking for here is also not new. In 2014 Ireland and the EU quickly banned trade in goods *and* services with Russian-occupied territory. This full ban was implemented within months of Russian’s illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory, and rightly so. Why should there be a double standard? International law must be applied equally and consistently, or else it means nothing. This matters even more given the EU’s shameful response to the genocide in Gaza.

I will say it again: if we want to give effect to the ICJ ruling then the quickest and best way to do that is to pass the Occupied Territories Bill. I have no issue with technical amendments to strengthen and improve it, and it is misleading and unfair to suggest otherwise. But what matters is that a full ban is implemented and that we stick to our commitments. No more theft of land without consequences. No more ifs or buts. Ireland can lead on this, and there’s no more time to waste.

I truly believe we’ve gotten this far because ordinary people all over the country have spoken out and demanded action. We have to keep doing so, starting outside the Dáil next Weds 22nd and at the @ipsc48 march in Dublin this Saturday 25th. See you there.

Frances

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros]

At least seven newborns died of hypothermia in #Gaza in December, and more children are in danger.

Every child deserves a healthy and safe start in life, but the children of Gaza are paying the price of war with their own lives. Ceasefire!

[Save the Children UK @savechildrenuk]

Today, millions of children around the world are returning to learning after a winter break. But not Gaza's children.

Education might not seem as important during conflict – when even survival isn't guaranteed – but in fact it brings stability to such an uncertain time and is vital in building a secure future.

#StopTheWarOnChildren

[Michael Sfard מיכאל ספרד @sfardm]

It is impossible to look at the frightened children who experienced a paralyzing shock when the armed settler broke into their house at night, destroyed, shouted and stole, without asking when have we become the replicas of those who persecuted our people throughout history? >>