The pain experienced by innocent Palestinians in the ongoing brutal conflict has eclipsed other concerns like tariffs and elections. Israel's response to the October 7 massacre involved legitimate efforts to destroy Hamas, but actions in Gaza have transcended self-defense and define a horrific reality. While the Irish government considers proposing a national day of solidarity for Gaza, previous initiatives like the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People exist. Symbolic gestures hold significance, and the awareness of the situation is particularly acute among youth observing these events on social media.
Given the industrial scale of the horrors unfolding before the world's eyes, yesterday's announcement by the Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister, Simon Harris, that the Government is open to holding a national day of solidarity for Gaza might seem like an irrelevant sideshow.
Symbolic acts do matter, all the same, and more so if, as Harris hopes, "many countries did it together". He has promised to speak to colleagues "on how to make this happen".
Seeking to destroy Hamas was a legitimate response. The medieval cruelties being inflicted on Gaza with high-tech efficiency have, however, gone far beyond self-defence.
For young people watching it play out in real time on the screens of their smartphones, the world must seem like a terrifying place right now.
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