'He has lost the run of himself' - Ian Paisley slams Leo Varadkar over Israel revenge comments

In his remarks to the press, Mr Varadkar said: “I think it's very important we never forget where this started.

“This phase of the conflict started with a Hamas attack on Israel where 1,400 civilians were killed, including one person who is a dual Israeli-Irish citizen.

“And I strongly believe that like any state, Israel has the right to defend itself, has the right to go after them, so they cannot do this again.

"But what I'm seeing unfolding at the moment isn't just self-defence. It looks, resembles, something more approaching revenge.

“And that's not where we should be. And I don't think that's how Israel will guarantee its future freedom and its future security.”

Reacting, DUP MP Mr Paisley told the News Letter: “I'm aghast. I mean, the man has obviously no international self-awareness.

"Israel is at war. That's the official state of the nation: a member of the UN. Israel is at war.

“The man has absolutely lost the run of himself.”

He added: “I still am amazed that there's no official book of mourning or book of condolence for the Irish citizen who was murdered by Hamas [Kim Damti].

“I dare to say if she had been killed by the Israelis her name would be plastered over every Irish lamp-post.

"I think Leo Varadkar does need to search his soul and realise his international self-awareness is lacking.”

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had declared in the wake of the Hamas attack: “We are friends of Israel. When friends are under attack, we stand by them. Israel has the right and duty to respond to Hamas' act of war.”

President Michael D Higgins had responded that she was “not speaking for Ireland”.

As of Thursday, the UN – quoting the Hamas-run Ministry of Health – said “the number of people killed in Gaza is nearing the 9,000 mark”, with the ministry estimating that over one third of them were children.

It also says that 14 out of 35 hospitals across Gaza are not functioning.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has kept a running tally of the number of people killed in Israel/Palestine from 2008 up to just before the most recent violence.

It stood at 6,407 Palestinians (3,803 civilians), and 308 Israelis (177 civilians) – to which all the fatalities above can now be added, pushing the total of all dead over the past 15 years deep into five figures.