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Relatives mourn their loss as bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli attack are brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for funeral procedures on September 3, 2025.
“I believe the EU will find it extraordinarily difficult to ever be a union in any sense again when some of its strongest members are deciding to stay silent in watching emaciated," said Irish President Michael Higgins.
Irish President Michael Higgins on Tuesday shamed fellow European nations for their inaction in ending the conflict in Gaza.
As reported by Turkish news website AA, Higgins pointed to the finding by the United Nations' (UN) commission of inquiry that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza to argue that the world needed to do more to end the carnage.
Specifically, Higgins argued that Israel and any nations that supply it with arms should be expelled from the UN. He also had harsh words for European Union (EU) nations whom he accused of looking the other way in the face of mass atrocities.
"I believe the EU will find it extraordinarily difficult to ever be a union in any sense again when some of its strongest members are deciding to stay silent in watching emaciated children in what is a human, manmade, really atrocious infliction on people," he said.
Higgins also highlighted some particularly gruesome findings from the commission's report to push for the EU to take action to "stop this carnage" and the "slaughter of civilians."
"That report says 90% of all housing has been destroyed, education facilities have been destroyed, and healthcare facilities and fertility facilities are being destroyed—in other words, you're attacking birth," he said.
The UN commission's report concluded that Israel had committed four distinct kinds of "genocidal acts," as defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention: Killing members of a group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to a group, deliberately inflicting conditions aimed at bringing about a group's destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within a group.
The only genocidal act that Israel has not yet committed, the report said, was forcibly transferring children of a group to a different group.
Navi Pillay, the commission chair and former UN high commissioner for human rights, said that report shows Israel has shown "an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention."
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Irish President Michael Higgins on Tuesday shamed fellow European nations for their inaction in ending the conflict in Gaza.
As reported by Turkish news website AA, Higgins pointed to the finding by the United Nations' (UN) commission of inquiry that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza to argue that the world needed to do more to end the carnage.
Specifically, Higgins argued that Israel and any nations that supply it with arms should be expelled from the UN. He also had harsh words for European Union (EU) nations whom he accused of looking the other way in the face of mass atrocities.
"I believe the EU will find it extraordinarily difficult to ever be a union in any sense again when some of its strongest members are deciding to stay silent in watching emaciated children in what is a human, manmade, really atrocious infliction on people," he said.
Higgins also highlighted some particularly gruesome findings from the commission's report to push for the EU to take action to "stop this carnage" and the "slaughter of civilians."
"That report says 90% of all housing has been destroyed, education facilities have been destroyed, and healthcare facilities and fertility facilities are being destroyed—in other words, you're attacking birth," he said.
The UN commission's report concluded that Israel had committed four distinct kinds of "genocidal acts," as defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention: Killing members of a group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to a group, deliberately inflicting conditions aimed at bringing about a group's destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within a group.
The only genocidal act that Israel has not yet committed, the report said, was forcibly transferring children of a group to a different group.
Navi Pillay, the commission chair and former UN high commissioner for human rights, said that report shows Israel has shown "an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention."
Irish President Michael Higgins on Tuesday shamed fellow European nations for their inaction in ending the conflict in Gaza.
As reported by Turkish news website AA, Higgins pointed to the finding by the United Nations' (UN) commission of inquiry that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza to argue that the world needed to do more to end the carnage.
Specifically, Higgins argued that Israel and any nations that supply it with arms should be expelled from the UN. He also had harsh words for European Union (EU) nations whom he accused of looking the other way in the face of mass atrocities.
"I believe the EU will find it extraordinarily difficult to ever be a union in any sense again when some of its strongest members are deciding to stay silent in watching emaciated children in what is a human, manmade, really atrocious infliction on people," he said.
Higgins also highlighted some particularly gruesome findings from the commission's report to push for the EU to take action to "stop this carnage" and the "slaughter of civilians."
"That report says 90% of all housing has been destroyed, education facilities have been destroyed, and healthcare facilities and fertility facilities are being destroyed—in other words, you're attacking birth," he said.
The UN commission's report concluded that Israel had committed four distinct kinds of "genocidal acts," as defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention: Killing members of a group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to a group, deliberately inflicting conditions aimed at bringing about a group's destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within a group.
The only genocidal act that Israel has not yet committed, the report said, was forcibly transferring children of a group to a different group.
Navi Pillay, the commission chair and former UN high commissioner for human rights, said that report shows Israel has shown "an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention."