Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar criticized Israel for stopping water and electricity supplies to Gaza.

He said this action breaks the rules of international humanitarian law.

While he understood Israel's right to self-defence, he believed they shouldn't harm international law in doing so.

He called this a kind of punishment that affects everyone, which, he said, is not how a democratic country should act.

“Israel is under threat. They do have a right to defend themselves, but they don't have the right to breach international humanitarian law,” the Irish PM said this in an interview with broadcaster TVE.

Varadkar also said that Hamas should release all hostages. He believed that Israel's actions were a response to the threat they saw from Hamas in Gaza.

“It is carrying out the massive, indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, so civilians are suffering... 1,200 have been killed already in the last few days,” she said, adding “I do not know how many injured, on top of that. There is the siege blocking food and fuel and electricity and water,” Leo Varadkar further said.

Former Irish president Mary Robinson shared similar views, calling Israel's response to the Hamas attack an act of collective punishment.

She pointed out that many innocent people in Gaza had been killed and that living conditions were getting worse because of the lack of food, fuel, electricity, and water.

Robinson also praised Ireland for supporting the rights of Palestinians.

The recent tensions in the Middle East started when Hamas attacked Israel with around 2,000 rockets following incidents at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and violence against Palestinians.