Sinn Féin’s Declan Kearney has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and stressed that it must now open a pathway to a permanent, democratic peace settlement, and achievement of a sovereign Palestinian state.

The party’s National Chairperson and South Antrim MLA said;

“The welcome announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza provides a potential respite for the people of Gaza, where Israel has prosecuted the most brutal war crimes and human rights violations against a defenceless, civilian, refugee population. 

“In full view of the world, the Palestinian people have endured fifteen months of genocide. During that time whole generations of families have been massacred. The entire health and medical infrastructure across the Gaza Strip has been decimated. The numbers of children killed to date is the equivalent of a child’s funeral every day for more than 39 years. That is a horrific reality, with so-called ‘safe zones’ having been turned into indiscriminate killing fields. 

Commenting on the opportunity presented by the ceasefire, Declan Kearney said:

“This ceasefire accord is the same as the original May 2024 ceasefire proposal. Its implementation has been blocked since then because the Israeli prime minister, emboldened by the support of western powers, has consistently rejected all efforts to secure a ceasefire deal.

“The strategic and political lesson of the Irish peace process is that conflicts are only resolved when agreements are observed and fully implemented on a good faith basis by all sides. The bad faith repeatedly demonstrated by the Israelis during the last 12 months is a real concern for implementation of the new agreement.

“This ceasefire must become a catalyst for a permanent end of Israel’s war against the Palestinian people, the immediate flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the release of prisoners held by Israel and Palestinian armed factions.

“The children of Gaza can no longer be denied a future of peace, human rights, freedom and justice.

“The international community and the Irish government share an urgent responsibility to ensure that this ceasefire holds and leads to the rebuilding of Gaza. It must open the way to a permanent peace settlement, and the realisation of an independent Palestinian state. The primacy of international law must be enforced: Israel’s systems of occupation and apartheid in Palestine must be ended.”