Israel’s strikes on Gaza this week were needed due to Hamas’ “ongoing violations” of the ceasefire agreement, the country’s ambassador has claimed.
The Israeli Defence Forces claimed it was targeting "terror targets" and Mahmoud Abu Wafah, Deputy Interior Minister in Gaza, was among the many hundreds of people reportedly killed.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin urged Israel to resume the ceasefire for the sake of Gazan civilians, who he said have endured “unimaginable hardships” since the conflict began.
We have witnessed appalling scenes from Gaza again today.
The international community cannot accept this step backwards. We need an urgent end to hostilities.Full statement: pic.twitter.com/xNbX6j297Z
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 19, 2025
On The Pat Kenny Show, Ambassador Dana Erlich said Hamas broke the ceasefire agreement long before Israel did.
“Every time our hostages were released, we’ve seen that brutal, horrible parading,” she said.
“That is a violation of the ceasefire.
“We’ve seen two incidents where Hamas fired rockets on Israel that fell within the Gaza Strip - I don’t think that was even reported with the Irish media.
“We’ve seen Hamas promote different terror attacks within Israel.”
In accordance with the political echelon, the IDF and ISA are currently conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/mYZ1WBPVPG
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 18, 2025
Ms Erlich added the Israeli Government was increasingly concerned about Hamas’ focus on rebuilding its military capabilities.
“Hamas have been… dragging their [feet] on purpose while they are restocking, repiling and getting more force,” she said.
“They’re abusing this time, they’re abusing the humanitarian aid that goes in.”
Mourners pray over the bodies of Palestinians killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip on March 19th, 2025. Picture by: Abdel Kareem Hana.Since the conflict began in October 2023, officials in Gaza have claimed some 61,000 people have died as a result of Israeli strikes on the territory.
However, Ms Erlich said such figures are unreliable and urged people repeating them to use “critical thinking” about the conflict.
“I’m surprised that you repeat numbers that you know are given by Hamas,” she said.
“The Health Ministry in Gaza is Hamas; it’s a Hamas Ministry and you are repeating these numbers without any critical questioning or trying to understand is it true.
“Where do these numbers come from, where does the information come from?”
Peace settlement
Regarding the long-term prospects of peace between Israel and Palestine, Ms Erlich said the first step would be the return of the hostages, followed by regime change in Gaza.
“We need to make sure that we are able to live in Israel,” she said.
“I think it’s a minimum request from any citizen in any country; we want our children to have a future in Israel.
“We want our neighbours to have a future; that cannot go on while Hamas is still ruling Gaza.”
You can listen back to the full interview here:
Main image: Israel's Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich at the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. Picture by: PA Images / Alamy
