TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has called on Israel to rescind its evacuation order from northern Gaza and said that moving 1 million people in that time “simply isn’t feasible”.

This morning Israel ordered the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern Gaza within 24 hours, something the UN has described as “impossible”. 

Speaking in Cork today, Martin said: “In respect of Israel and Gaza, we’ve been very clear that Israel has a right to self defense, but it must be within international law and that there are obligations under the Geneva Convention. And it simply isn’t feasible, that a million people can move out of the city in 24 hours.

“That call by Israel should be rescinded and should be pulled back. Because I think everybody knows it’s not something that can be achieved at all,” the Tánaiste said.

He said the evacuation order “puts enormous trauma on the ordinary civilians and Gazans” and said “two wrongs don’t make a right”.

“There’s an obligation to protect civilians in Gaza, to protect children and families and so forth and people who have nothing to do with Hamas,” he said. 

Martin, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs said he accepts that Israel has a “legitimate right to deal with Hamas because Hamas has waged war on its civilians” but added “it cannot be in the context of an attack on the civilian population of Gaza.”

“Our value system is one that does not in any way, support any collective punishment of an entire population. That’s not acceptable, from our perspective,” he added.

EU response

Martin said he has been “heartened” by the debate had at the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting earlier this week.

He said there was “a very strong unity of purpose in respect of maintaining development assistance to the Palestinians” and a very strong consensus on the application of international law in respect of any response by Israel in Gaza. 

Martin firmly rejected that Ireland is an “anti-semitic country”.

He said: “I don’t believe there’s a majority of commentators who believe that either. I think Ireland has a very, very good reputation globally, in respect of our support for human rights.”

Hamas has rejected Israel’s evacuation order, and in a statement said: “Our Palestinian people reject the threat of the occupation (Israeli) leaders and its call for them to leave their homes and flee from them to the south (of Gaza) or Egypt,” the Islamist militant group said in a statement.

“We are steadfast on our land and in our homes and our cities. There will be no displacement,” it said.

Hamas also says at least 13 Israeli and foreign hostages held in the northern Gaza Strip have been killed in Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours.