Simon Harris
Wicklow · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are more than 10,000 routes and thousands of buses involved and the number of students using the services is not a million miles away from 200,000. The current terms of the scheme are going to continue to apply for the 2026-27 school year.”
“I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what is genuinely an important issue. I do take the point that when we talk about this in the abstract or from a process point of view in here, that for people watching this is their real lived experience.”
“There number of children who have been supported by means of the school transport scheme, as Deputy Fitzmaurice knows and has alluded to, has grown significantly in recent years. Since 2018, the number increased from 120,000 in 2018 to more than 181,000 now. Included in that figure are 24,000 pupils with special educational needs.”
“I knew the Deputy would have to mention the GAA, especially with Galway and Limerick playing at the weekend. I wish everybody involved the best of luck. We are very committed to the school transport scheme. If the Deputy wants to see our commitment, he should look to our budget.”
“An ageing population, increasing healthcare needs, the transition to net zero and the need for continued investment in housing, energy and infrastructure will place a significant demand on public resources.”
“There is also a legitimacy to the point the Deputy made about how it is a legitimate form of transport for some people. We see this working in other European countries. We see it in our nearest neighbours. I do not want to get the regime wrong, but I think they have registration at the point of purchase that allows people to track this.”
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“Over the past number of years I have been in government, we have seen a very significant increase in the number of homes delivered in this country. We saw 133,000 new homes delivered between 2020 and 2024, with 92,500 of them delivered between 2022 and 2024. Deputy Doherty never acknowledges that bit. He never acknowledges that we have rebuilt a construction sector and rebuilt an economy, that we now have a national planning framework, the biggest overhaul of planning legislation in a generation, if not ever, and a real opportunity now-----”
“They saw just the first in a range of announcements they can expect with the memo we had this week in relation to the extension of planning permissions that were due to expire.”
“We are going to produce a new housing plan in July. Deputy Doherty can be quite assured that part of that new housing plan will be significant additional funding and enabling provisions for Irish Water and, indeed, for energy. We have been clear, and we were very clear in the election, about what we would do with the proceeds from the Apple account in terms of how that money would be deployed. I agree on this point: water infrastructure and energy infrastructure are key enablers if we are serious about reaching the 300,000 homes that need to be delivered in this country between now and 2030. The Deputies will see, week in and week out, actions from the Government to get to that point.”
“I am not sure who is playing leader of Sinn Féin today, whether it is you or Pearse. I am not sure whether this is the audition for the next leader of Sinn Féin but I would like to speak, if that is okay.”
“We have been very clear that we are going to have to spend an awful lot more on Uisce Éireann. I met with the chief executive of Uisce Éireann for a number of hours last Friday. Uisce Éireann has presented to the Government real plans that if we can provide it with significant additional capital funding over the summer period in the context of the review of the national development plan, it will be able to, I am sure the Deputies opposite will be delighted to know, provide enough water infrastructure to enable to delivery of the homes we need.”
“We can come back to that in a moment. Other actions needed include: resourcing An Bord Pleanála properly; enacting and commencing the various provisions of the Planning and Development Acts in order that we can speed up the delivery of planning, because planning decisions are holding back the delivery of homes and infrastructure; increasing the zoned land for housing, and that is what the national planning framework the Minister for Housing brought before this House was all about - making sure we have enough zoned lands to deliver the homes we need in each of our communities; and providing more funding and a better way of delivering key infrastructure like water and energy. It is hard to take a lecture from Deputy Doherty in relation to water after his party politicised the issue of water so much to try to stymie progress in recent years.”
“It is also true that it is not enough, and it is also true that it has somewhat stalled or reached a plateau. Therefore, we now have to look at what we can do to take it to the next level and be able to achieve the ambition we have of 300,000 more homes being delivered in this country by 2030. We are very clear in regard to what we need to do, and many of the issues the Deputy highlighted are key parts of that jigsaw. We need planning reform, making sure, and we would appreciate the Deputy's party's assistance on this, that people do not keep objecting to the delivery of housing in their communities, saying they are in favour of houses here but against them in their own communities. We need to resource An Bord Pleanála-----”
“The reason we are in a position that we have record surpluses, the reason we are going to be able to spend a hell of a lot more money on water, energy, housing and putting in place the services people need, is because of the way we have managed the economy of this country, working with the Irish people, over the past number of years. These things do not happen by accident. There has been, objectively and factually, a significant increase in the progress of the delivery of housing in recent years. We have seen more than 133,000 new-build homes delivered between 2020 and 2024. A total of 92,500 of those homes were delivered just between 2022 and 2024, which is up nearly 50% on the previous three years. It is objectively true that we saw a significant uplift in housing.”
“I thank Deputy Doherty. Housing is the biggest domestic challenge that this country faces and the people in this country face. It is the biggest societal challenge on a domestic level and it is now a real economic challenge as well. We have to do more when it comes to housing. We, the parties that formed the Government and the Independents who support it, were very clear that if returned to office, we would work to increase the scale of housing delivery. The Deputy's party put forward its plans as well, which I do not think convinced many. Deputy Doherty talks about record surpluses, and I am glad he does, but he just kind of brushes over them as though they happened by accident.”
“Regarding services, I will keep saying that I do not have a policy difference with people who want to include services. I want to make sure that the law does not fall at the first legal hurdle. I am happy to be challenged and to be proven wrong at the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee about this issue. I want to work constructively with Deputies on this. I am working constructively with Senator Black. We will forward that legislation to the foreign affairs committee next month for scrutiny. Let us work intensively to make progress. This most horrific situation has gone on for far too long. The Labour Party motion is a constructive step that this House can take today.”
“Today marks 12 months to the day since Ireland’s recognition of the State of Palestine, together with Spain and Norway, and followed closely by Slovenia. We now see the question of recognition at the centre of international debate. The decision we took a year ago contributed to this positive change. I welcome the announcement by Malta that it will recognise Palestine next month. I encourage all other states, including many of our EU partners, to now take that step. Let the people of Palestine know you see them and you hear them. For a couple of large EU member states to take that step would be extremely significant. If people believe in two states, they have to recognise that two states exist. Here at home, we are working on advancing the occupied Palestinian territories Bill.”
“Last week's decision at the Foreign Affairs Council, when a clear majority of EU member states finally agreed to review the EU-Israel association agreement, was an important step forward. It was a recognition that Ireland's position was right. It came far too late, though, and we in Ireland believe that the agreement should be suspended pending the outcome of that review. We want to use all levers available to the EU to bring about change. It is my view that the agreement should be suspended pending that review. Our position on this situation is grounded in two simple principles: respect for international law and respect for human rights. We remain convinced that the implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to establish lasting peace and security for Palestine, Israel and the wider region.”
“The fact that Palestine can now table its own resolutions, and has done so, is also significant and helpful. Ireland is working closely with international partners to bolster efforts to implement the two-state solution, including through meetings of the global alliance for the implementation of the two-state solution. The fifth meeting of that alliance took place in Morocco on 20 May. Ireland also participated at the weekend in a meeting of the Madrid group of Arab, Islamic and European countries in an expanded format for a discussion on how to advance implementation of the two-state solution ahead of the UN conference next month. The meeting included a number of additional European countries, I am pleased to say, including for the first time France, Germany and the UK, as well as Brazil.”
“The General Assembly can only recommend action, but such recommendations only become binding when the UN Security Council compels action, which it has failed to do. While it may be possible to envisage a role for the UN peacekeeping mission, with the agreement of the parties and Palestine and backed by the UN Security Council, I want to be objectively clear that the conditions do not exist today. This is not to say that the UN General Assembly does not have a role to play. It clearly does. That is not to say we should not seek its special convening as per the Labour Party's motion. Consideration of any issue by the General Assembly is a significant indication of its importance to the international community and an opportunity for each member state to speak in defence of the protection of the fundamental values of the United Nations.”
“For these reasons, the UN conference next month is Ireland’s overriding focus at a UN level. This is also the focus of Palestine and our like-minded partners. I want to be clear about what the uniting for peace resolution can and cannot do. The uniting for peace resolution, which the Labour motion rightly refers to, dates from the time of the Korean War in the 1950s. The reality is that only once in 70 years, back in 1956, has the resolution been used to establish a peacekeeping force. This was under very specific circumstances at the time, in which all the parties and the key members of the Security Council were in agreement. Sadly, similar circumstances do not exist today. That is not a reason to not try but I just want to say that. There is a reason why it has not been used for this purpose since then.”
“Next month, a high-level conference on Palestine and the two-state solution will be held at the UN, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. This conference was mandated by way of a resolution tabled by Palestine and adopted at the reconvened emergency special session on 18 September 2024. Ireland has been asked by the cochairs to play a central role at this conference, where we will cochair one of the working groups, together with Türkiye. The conference will focus on topics central to the two-state solution, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the delivery of aid, Palestinian institutions and state building, governance and security arrangements, and how to promote peace and reconciliation. Ireland will cochair the working group on preserving the two-state solution.”
“It has been resumed more than 20 times since it was established, including on six occasions since the outbreak of the latest horrific war. At the resumed tenth emergency session on 24 and 26 October 2023, this country was among the first in the world to call for a ceasefire. This contributed to momentum towards the eventual call by the General Assembly for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in a resolution adopted by an overwhelming majority in December 2023. At the resumed session in May 2024, shortly before Ireland recognised the State of Palestine exactly one year ago today, Ireland strongly supported a resolution to upgrade Palestine's rights at the UN as an observer state and urged the Security Council to give consideration to Palestine’s request for full membership.”
“The need for action could not be clearer. The Government will not just not oppose the motion, but will work constructively with the Labour Party and this House on how we advance it. Some elements under consideration today are already being addressed by existing initiatives at UN level, including within the framework of the uniting for peace Resolution 377, in which I am proud that Ireland is playing a lead role. The motion asks the Government to call for a new emergency special session of the UN General Assembly, which I consider to be a constructive request and will act on. I hope that colleagues opposite will welcome that there is already an emergency special session dedicated to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. This is the tenth emergency special session, which was established under the uniting for peace resolution.”
“The Government has been and will continue to be proactive in seeking to achieve all of these objectives and has objectively shown leadership at the international level, both in addressing the immediate situation and in creating the conditions for a just and lasting peace, as we should, because the situation in Gaza is one of unprecedented gravity. The images and reports that are emerging on a daily basis are dreadful and horrifying to behold - of people starving, children dying, malnourished babies, those taking shelter in tents subjected to aerial bombing, bombed-out schools and hospitals, a vast wasteland of rubble where homes and houses once stood, and the basic requirements for human life and human dignity expunged under relentless attack. The urgency of the need for peace could not be clearer.”
“People are starving in Gaza today for one reason only, namely, that the Israeli Government will not let the aid trucks that are in Jordan into Gaza. Thousands upon thousands of trucks, including trucks paid for by Irish taxpayers, are sitting there. The Irish taxpayer-funded trucks have enough food for more than 6,000 people in Gaza. They have been waiting for four months to get into Gaza. The entire population of Gaza is facing high levels of food insecurity. It is on the verge of a famine, with one in five - 500,000 people - facing starvation. This is evil beyond words. We cry out for urgent efforts to ensure an immediate ceasefire.”
“We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7 October 2023. We unequivocally condemn the taking of hostages by Hamas, and we have repeatedly called for their release and repeat that call today. We are clear that Hamas has brought nothing but death and suffering to the people of Palestine and the people of Israel and offer them no future. That is not just my view. That is the view of the President of the Palestinian Authority. We condemn in the strongest possible way the continuing Israeli military operations in Gaza and abhor Israel's clear plans to not only persist but to go further, to starve, to displace, to kill, and to reoccupy. We call on Israel to fully lift the blockade it has imposed and allow for unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale into Gaza.”
“Day after day, for almost 600 days, we have witnessed the horrors escalate before our very eyes to the dismay of the Irish people, who cannot fathom the seeming incapacity of the world to bring this injustice, suffering and death to an end and work towards a lasting peace. I am proud that we live in a country where there is generally a shared perspective and the overarching approach we take is based on the clear view of the Irish people that we must do everything in our power to act against the barbarity of this brutal offensive. While this is true in Ireland, it is regrettable that it is only much too belatedly that a more united voice is being found among the international community in response to the war crimes and genocidal activity that we are witnessing. I want to clearly restate this country's position.”
“There is a whole array of people, including hundreds upon hundreds of people in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the European Union, embassies across the world and the United Nations, mandated by this Government and House to speak up and speak out for our values and to use every possible lever. They are doing that and they are doing this country, a small country, extraordinarily proud. I thank them for their work. It is right that we take every opportunity we can in this House to consider what further actions we can take to help press for peace and to end the onslaught on the people of Gaza.”
“I thank the Labour Party and Deputy Smith for bringing forward this motion today. I thank them for the constructive way in which they are approaching the most horrific, appalling situation in Gaza and the Middle East, and I mean that. I approach this debate, and respectfully suggest we should all approach it, by moving beyond the mantra of "Government good, Opposition bad" or "Opposition good, Government bad". It does not get us anywhere. There is not anybody in this House, regardless of political background, or anyone in this country who is not horrified and haunted by the scenes Deputy Sherlock rightly mentioned in relation to young children and babies. There is no one in this House who wishes to deliver well-meaning statements.”
“Nothing we can do or say can ever make up for the grief or sorrow of the O'Farrell family and the anguish of their long campaign for justice,but I hope that an apology today and the actions we are taking alongside it may be some balm for the pain that you bear. I hope you will take some comfort in having translated that pain into changes that should, and must, protect others in the way that Shane should have been protected, so that other families do not endure the suffering that you have. Shane's memory lives on in this and in so many ways, thanks to your enduring love and your inexhaustible resilience. Thank your again for being here today, for the Government to deliver this statement. As Tánaiste, I fully endorse and support the apology that will now be given by the Minister for Justice.”
“Today, we acknowledge failures in the Courts Service and the criminal justice system that exposed Shane to danger on the fateful day of his tragic death. My colleague, the Minister for Justice, will formally deliver a public apology to the O'Farrell family very shortly on behalf of the Government. The Government made a number of decisions, on the recommendation of the Minister and arising from the campaign of the O'Farrell family, that we hope will bring about meaningful changes. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, will outline these decisions in detail. They are rightly intended to directly respond to the failings we are acknowledging today. I commend the Minister for bringing forward these measures and for proposing these Dáil statements today.”
“It is beyond regrettable that it is so often the case that the interactions of victims and their families with the State are so prolonged as to feel adversarial. I know that this, too, has exacerbated your already unimaginable pain. I know Shane's death plunged your tight-knit community in County Monaghan into the depths of grief and numbness. The community had lost one of its own. Shane was a 23-year-old young law graduate with his entire life, a bright future, all ahead of him. The harrowing events of that day in August 2011 were just the beginning of a living nightmare for the O'Farrell family. Nothing we can do or say today will take away the pain of his loss but I hope the steps that we are taking will help bring some sense of closure and some small sense of comfort.”
“He was a sports lover and an exceptionally bright individual. He was a son, a brother and a friend. We can all attest to the strength of the Irish mother. Shane was blessed with a very special mother, who along with his father and his sisters, has championed his cause day in and day out for 14 long years. Lucia, you and your family have ensured that his name is heard and echoed in the corridors of power. The commitment you have shown to this campaign is a tribute to a mother's love for her son, but also a family's pursuit of justice and truth. I hope that today, in some small way, we can start to heal the wounds left by Shane's untimely death. I know the agonising pain of Shane's tragic death near Carrickmacross in County Monaghan on 2 August 2011 has since been borne alongside your long campaign against the injustice of his killing.”
“I want to begin by welcoming members of the O'Farrell family to the House. I am conscious that for Shane's parents, Lucia and Jim, and his for his four sisters, Hannah, Gemma, Aimee and Pia, this very far from your first time in this House, or in the environs of Government Buildings. I had the honour of meeting you when I served as Minister for Justice. I was in awe of you all. I was in awe of your family and I was in awe of the might of a mother fighting for justice for her son. I saw at first hand your fortitude and determination to secure justice for Shane, your only son, your only brother, who was so cruelly taken from you. When I met you, we sat for hours as you remembered Shane. The pain was as raw as the day you lost him. Throughout that meeting, you brought to life a kind, happy, generous and determined young man.”
“I thank Deputy McGrath. I did indeed meet Mrs. O'Dwyer and others in Clonmel and I share Deputy McGrath's view of meeting good decent people. I do not have the information available to me here but I will ask either the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, or the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to come back to Deputy McGrath directly on this issue in Dundrum.”
“I thank Deputy Lawless for raising what is clearly is a very important issue. I am pleased to tell him there is a proposed public health nicotine inhaling products Bill which will contain a range of measures to reduce youth use of nicotine inhaling products such as vapes, a ban on point-of-sale displays and advertising, a ban on devices resembling toys and games, restrictions on flavours for sale, requirements for only basic flavour names to be used, and a complete ban on disposable vapes. Specifically on the HHC element raised by Deputy Lawless, I may ask in the context of the points he has made that the Minister and the Chief Medical Officer give us a view on it, and Deputy Lawless will have a chance as the legislation progresses to pursue it.”
“I thank Deputy Carthy for raising this matter, and for providing me with the figures, which do seem quite extraordinary in terms of the amount of plastic being collected under the scheme that then has to be shipped out of the country. I do not profess to be an expert on the detail of this but I will ask the Minister for the environment to look at the specific issue raised by Deputy Carthy to see whether we can do more to build up capacity in this country.”
“The Minister for Education and Youth and I discussed at the most recent Cabinet committee how we can use education campuses more broadly in terms of utilising State buildings and State land, and what we can do on the guidelines to make it easier when housing estates are built. Many housing estates are built with a crèche or childcare facility but many childcare providers find the upfront costs they need to pay far too high. We are very clear in the programme for Government that there are parts of the country where we need to have State-backed public provision. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is working on an action plan on childcare, which I expect to be published in the coming months.”
“I thank Deputy Neville for raising this matter. He is right that it is a major priority for us in government. In the programme for Government we have outlined 21 specific commitments on childcare. My constituency in Wicklow it is not too dissimilar to Deputy Neville's constituency in Kildare in terms of a very fast-growing population of people. They are pleased to see the reduction we have made in childcare fees but they want a place. The reduction in the fees only matters if they can get a place. We do need to look at what more we can do. Each of the three areas referenced by Deputy Neville are areas to which the Minister is giving consideration.”
“I thank Deputy McAuliffe. He raises an interesting and fair point, and it is one that comes up quite a lot. I will certainly commit to engaging with the Minister for Justice on this. We are going through a period of reform in the passport service. Many challenges that used to exist, including delays in getting passports, are, thankfully, gone. Many people are pleasantly shocked at how quickly their passport arrives. I accept that as we move through reform this is an interesting point. Integrity and child protection are issues that Deputy McAuliffe and I value but is there a better or more efficient way to do this? Not all Garda stations are open at every time of the day. I accept there are real challenges. I will talk to the Minister for Justice and the Passport Office and I am happy to meet Deputy McAuliffe on this to see what we can do.”
“We are working at an EU level because that is how sanctions are introduced. I do not disagree with the Deputy's analysis of the situation, but Ireland is taking practical actions and doing everything we possibly can.”
“We do not just provide words; we provide a significant amount of money, including through UNRWA, to the Palestinian Authority and in aid. We do not just say words. We have joined with South Africa on a case in the International Court of Justice on the genocide convention. We have worked to try to build a majority at the European Union, which now exists, in terms of the association agreement. The Deputy is correct regarding sanctions taken against Russia which have not been taken against Israel. I would point out that those sanctions have been taken at an EU level.”
“I thank Deputy Healy for raising this matter. I know from what he said the stressful impact the situation is having on people who require eye care services in south Tipperary. I have been assured of two things. One is that the HSE is actively trying to fill the post. I take the point the Deputy made about the gap between someone who gives due notice of retirement and filling a vacancy. I understand the HSE is actively trying to fill the vacancy. I have also been informed that there are no plans to withdraw the service from the Deputy's area. I will ask the Minister for Health to come back to him directly. I am assured the HSE is eager to fill the vacancy and get the service back up and running.”
“I thank Deputy Daly. I have known the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to be described in many ways, but "silent" is a new one on me. I will ask him to engage directly with the Deputy. I have heard about the challenge this has created, the impact it is having on the livelihoods of people and the vacuum or lack of clarity on the position. On foot of the Deputy raising this issue today, I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to contact him directly to discuss the matter.”
“I thank my colleague, Deputy Noel McCarthy, for raising this important issue. I can only imagine the degree of frustration being felt by his constituents in Ballyhooly, which he is giving voice to today. I am due to meet Uisce Éireann tomorrow and I will raise this issue with its representatives and come back to Deputy McCarthy directly.”
“I thank Deputy Connolly, who makes a very compelling case. Any transport strategy will have to be multifaceted, as the Deputy correctly said. I will not cut across the decisions pending in An Bord Pleanála on the N6 and I know the importance of that in Galway. Regardless of what decision is made, there will still be a requirement to do more on the public transport network. We are very proud of the all-island rail review and we want to make progress on that, as well as other areas, over the lifetime of the Government. In light of the Deputy's representation today, I will speak to the Minister for Transport and ask that he convey his views to the NTA and come back to him directly.”
“There is often an inverse relationship between where the health need is most required and where the number of GPs are populated. I will ask the Minister for Health to come back to the Deputy with more information on that.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising an issue that is very real and comes up quite a lot across the country. I will ask the Minister for Health to respond to her on her plans, if the Deputy wants to provide her with examples of some of the issues she referenced in her constituency. We are very committed to increasing the number of training places for GPs. We have already begun that work and the trajectory will continue and accelerate. We have engaged with GPs on a number of occasions in recent years on their contract in order to make the services they are providing more viable. We are continuing with that work. The Deputy referred to deprived or underresourced areas in terms of GPs. The HSE has the ability to hire salaried GPs in that case. There are some examples of that already in this city. We are keen to provide that more.”
“I will certainly engage with my colleague, the Minister for agriculture, and more broadly with European colleagues on this issue.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Muirí very much for raising this issue. He is right; the rationale, for better or worse, is around state aid rules. They are intended to ensure that subsidies provided by member states operate in accordance with the same basic rule book and, in the context, grants provided under the Common Agricultural Policy are intended to support farming activity. There is a view as to whether this ends up being a double investment. If we come up from the weeds, though, the broader point the Deputy is making is right. There is a climate emergency - of that there is no doubt - and we need to be coming forward with practical ways to help people, particularly farmers, who are well up for this by the way, to make a positive difference.”
“We also have an obligation in terms of our own rules, making sure there is more efficient administration so that, regardless of how people enter our country or seek to enter the country, they get a quicker "Yes" or "No" answer as to whether they have a legal right to be here. That is a very important part of the integrity of our migration system.”
“I thank Deputy O'Flynn for raising this matter. I assure him that there are structures in place between our Department of Justice and the Home Office in the United Kingdom in terms of the monitoring of the integrity of the common travel area. Obviously, we do not overly discuss all of those matters publicly for obvious reasons, but I can assure the Deputy that there are very good links at official level. I would also say more broadly that the decision taken this week by the UK Government and the EU to have closer co-operation can only be a positive in terms of working together on issues that clearly are global and bigger than any country's borders. We do, therefore, work very closely in this regard.”
“I do not have a policy difference, by the way, with anybody in this House who wants to include services and goods. I do have a legal difference, but I am happy to tease that out with people. I am also happy to be proven wrong on it, but I do need to tease that through as well.”
“I agree with the Deputy in many ways on the description she has given of the horrific situation in Gaza, but the reason that is happening is not because we have not passed the occupied territories Bill; it is because Benjamin Netanyahu's Government is engaging in war crimes, and it needs to stop. It needs to stop right now; it needs to stop today. The aid, including aid funded by Irish taxpayers, needs to get into Gaza. I am meeting Senator Black today for a follow-up meeting on the occupied territories Bill. I find her to be a very sincere person who just wants to get progress here and is not precious, for want of a better word, with regard to who brings the Bill forward. I do want a Bill that is legally robust. I do not want a Bill that makes us think we are doing something but falls at the first challenge.”
“I am conscious with regard to the British Government, recognising the separation that exists between governments and criminal justice systems and not wanting to say anything that cuts across a criminal justice system in another country, but I am very clear that the absolute focus of the entire world in the here and now needs to be on the depravation and starvation and war crimes being committed in Gaza.”