Hundreds protest in Cork as famine declared in Gaza

On the weekend that the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) officially declared famine in Gaza City, hundreds of people took to the streets of Cork to protest Israel’s war against Palestine.

The IPC’s declaration came after months of warnings by aid groups that Israel’s military offensive, and its restrictions of food and other aid into Gaza, were causing high levels of starvation among Palestinian civilians, particularly children.

Reacting to the IPC determination, Taoiseach Micheál Martin called Israel’s ongoing blockade of food and aid into Gaza a “war crime”, saying famine in Gaza had been “both entirely predictable and preventable”.

“The withholding of food and water from civilians is collective punishment of the people of Gaza, and a war crime,” Mr Martin said.

“The retention of hostages by Hamas is also a war crime, and it is long past time for their unconditional release and an end to this war.

“The inhumanity we are witnessing in Gaza has shocked the world. The maiming, mutilation and killing of children simply has to stop. The war must end now.” 

In May of this year, Mr Martin described in the Dáil Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, predicting that its blockade of humanitarian aid was pushing the Gaza Strip toward a hunger crisis.

Saturday’s rally was the 98th consecutive city centre protest since the latest and bloodiest round of the decades-long conflict in the Middle East was sparked by the Hamas-backed attacks of October 5, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and some 250 hostages taken.

Since then, the death toll in the besieged enclave has, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, now passed 62,000.

Speaking after the rally, Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, said the support for the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s weekly marches showed the people of the city and county were in full solidarity with the people of Palestine.

“It shows that people will continue to march and oppose genocide, and call for aid to be let through, and call for a ceasefire,” he said.

“We see it every day, and it’s getting worse and worse, the slaughter of innocent men, women and children, the genocide is just horrendous.” 

Mr Gould said it was heartening to see people of all ages turning out to show their support for the people of Gaza.

“There was surely close to 1,000 people here today, it was a really big march, the weather was good, it’s August, with a lot of people away on holidays, but there was a huge crowd there today,” he said.