{"id":629508,"date":"2026-09-19T11:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T11:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/629508\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T11:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T11:26:17","slug":"colin-sheridan-the-everyday-things-gaza-cannot-get-and-why-ireland-should-not-look-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/629508\/","title":{"rendered":"Colin Sheridan: The everyday things Gaza cannot get \u2014 and why Ireland should not look away"},"content":{"rendered":"

To every Irish person who queued to take a selfie with Donald Trump last week<\/a>; who slapped him on the back and laughed obligingly when he entered the room; to the Football Association of Ireland<\/a> and Heimir Hallgr\u00edmsson; to Ed Sheeran<\/a>; and to an Irish Government that continues to trade with Israel while sheltering behind the performative politics of pseudo-solidarity:<\/p>\n

Here is an incomplete list of everyday items Israel has denied the people of Gaza, in flagrant breach of its obligations under international law.<\/p>\n

Chocolate, spices, baby formula…<\/p>\n

Chocolate. Biscuits. Sweets. Jam. Halva. Fruit preserves. Canned fruit. Fruit juice. Dried fruit. Nuts. Seeds. Potato chips. Pasta. Fresh meat. Frozen beef. Frozen mutton. Vinegar. Sage. Cardamom. Cumin. Coriander. Ginger. Nutmeg. Glucose. Industrial margarine. Industrial salt. Flavour enhancers. Soft-drink gas. Dates. Infant formula. Animal feed. Cooking gas.<\/p>\n

Baby bottles, wedding dresses, shoes…<\/p>\n

Baby bottles. Baby wipes. Diapers. Combs. Dustpans. Cleaning sponges. Detergent. Shampoo. Razors. Cutlery. Clothing. Fabric. Shoes. Wedding dresses. Mattresses. Bedsheets. Blankets. Sleeping bags. Candles. Matches. Light bulbs. Rechargeable lights. Rechargeable batteries. Hearing-aid batteries. Aerosol cans. Furniture. Heaters. Toilets. Portable toilets. Tarpaulins. Tent poles. Metal pallets.<\/p>\n

Toys. Plastic toys. Electronic games. Gaming chairs. Joysticks. Scooters. Footballs. Football boots. Musical instruments. Sound equipment. Headphones.<\/p>\n

Books, newspapers, crayons…<\/p>\n

Books. Schoolbooks. Textbooks. Newspapers. Paper. A4 paper. Notebooks. Pens. Pencils. Crayons. Stationery. School supplies. Projectors. Graphic tablets. Computer monitors. Computer mice. Keyboards. Printers. Barcode printers. Fabric printers. Date printers. Scanners. CD-rom readers. Screen protectors. Screen splitters. Digital screens. LED screens. Cellular-phone screens. Cellular-phone accessories. Chargers. Selfie sticks. Camera tripods. Light rings.<\/p>\n

\"PlanningPlanning tonight’s dinner? Items that Israel bans from entering Gaza includes various meats (fresh or frozen), potato crisps, and fruit juices. Not to mention infant formula and cutlery. Picture: iStock\u00a0<\/p>\n

Remote controls. Card readers. Smart cards. Check readers. Credit-card terminals. Cash drawers. Cash-register equipment. Money-counting machines. ATMs. Appointment machines. Road signs.<\/p>\n

Communication equipment. Communication-network equipment. Communication-support equipment. Communications infrastructure. Communications cables. Power cables. Solar cables. Control systems. Sensors. Text messaging systems. Coding machines. Encryption machines. Electronic chips.<\/p>\n

Binoculars, telescopes, GPS…<\/p>\n

Optical equipment. Binoculars. Telescopes. Telescopic sights. Laser range-finders. Laser markers. Night-vision equipment. Underwater cameras. Sealed lenses. Compasses. GPS equipment. Navigation equipment. Telemetric equipment. Gamma ray measuring equipment. X-ray measuring equipment. Physical analysis equipment. Chemical analysis equipment.<\/p>\n

Sewing machines, pumps, cement mixers…<\/p>\n

Sewing machines. Textile printers. Machine parts. Spare parts. Lathes. Lathe parts. Milling machinery. Screwing machinery. Iron-rolling machinery. Metalworking machinery. Casting furnaces. Combustion equipment. Heavy machinery. Drilling equipment. Water drilling equipment. Cement mixers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheThe long list of items Israel bans from Gaza includes schoolbooks, notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, and other school supplies…. not to mention furniture and doors. Picture: iStock<\/p>\n

Pumps. Water pumps. Sewage pumps. Dirty-water pumps. Agricultural pumps. Tractor parts. Lubricants. Adhesives. Glues. Foam-making chemicals. Industrial chemicals. Chemical compounds.<\/p>\n

Resins. Vinyl-ester resin. Epoxy resin. Epoxy hardeners. Catalysts. Fibreglass. Glass fibre. Chopped glass fibre. Glass roving. Glass strand. Glass fabric. Glass tape. S-glass. E-glass. Carbon fibre. Chopped carbon fibre. Carbon roving. Carbon strand. Carbon fabric. Carbon tape. Graphite fibre. Polyethylene fibre. Dyneema fabric. Glass wool.<\/p>\n

Cement. White cement. Concrete. Gravel. Plaster. Construction timber. Construction equipment. Construction materials. Steel. Steel rebar. Steel sheets. Steel pipes. Iron. Iron pipes. Metal pipes. Seamless pipes. Aluminium rods. Aluminium powder. Magnesium powder. Platinum boards. Titanium boards. Graphite boards. Metal balls. Metal bearings. Metal containers. Glass containers. Plastic containers. Tar. Bitumen. Doors.<\/p>\n

Fertiliser, hydrogen peroxide, battery acid…<\/p>\n

Fertiliser. Solid fertiliser. Liquid fertiliser. Ammonium nitrate. Potassium nitrate. Urea. Urea nitrate. Sodium nitrate. Calcium nitrate. Nitrate salts. Potassium chloride. Chlorate salts. Potassium chlorate. Sodium chlorate. Perchlorate salts. Potassium perchlorate. Sodium perchlorate. Perchloric acid. Hydrogen peroxide. Nitric acid. Sulphuric acid. Battery acid.<\/p>\n

Phosphorus. White phosphorus. Red phosphorus. Sulphur. Potassium permanganate. Potassium cyanide. Sodium cyanide. Formaldehyde. Ethylene glycol. Glycerine. Hexamine. Naphthalene. Musk xylene. Methyl bromide. Pesticides. Methomyl. Endosulfan. Caustic soda. Chlorine. Disinfectants.<\/p>\n

\"ForeignForeign affairs minister Helen McEntee meeting Egyptian Red Crescent workers near the Rafah border in January. Ms McEntee said she was ‘appalled’ that Israel had banned a long list of items including wheelchairs from entering Gaza.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seeds. Planters. Irrigation pipes. Irrigation equipment. Digital irrigation systems. Fertilisation systems. Greenhouse nets. Greenhouse ropes. Hatcheries. Chick cartons. Chicken-farm heaters. Chicks. Goats. Cattle. Horses. Donkeys.<\/p>\n

Fishing nets, boats, buoys…\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fishing rods. Fishing nets. Fishing ropes. Buoys. Fishing equipment. Fishing boat engines. Boat engines. Engine parts. Sailing vessels. Windsurfers. Water skis. Diving equipment. Diving compressors. Underwater compasses. External marine engines. Fibreglass for boat repairs.<\/p>\n

Motorcycles. All-terrain vehicles. Vehicles. Vehicle parts. Parachutes. Handgliders. Hot-air balloons. Airships. Model aircraft. Fireworks. Uniforms. Symbols. Badges.<\/p>\n

Solar panels, water filters, sanitation equipment…<\/p>\n

Generators. Solar panels. Solar energy equipment. Solar power meters. Gas tanks. Gas cylinders. Water filters. Water filtration systems. Water disinfection chemicals. Water purification materials. Water purification tablets. Sanitation equipment.<\/p>\n

Medical kit (1): Nebulisers to dental equipment…<\/p>\n

Hospital beds. Medical furniture. Medical mattresses. Gynecological examination chairs. Physiotherapy equipment. Physiotherapy devices. Medical training manikins. Dental training manikins. Surgical tables.<\/p>\n

Operating room doors. Surgical lamps. Medical headlights. Patient warmers. Infant warmers. Incubators. Sinks. Medical gas outlets. Medical suction devices. Infusion pumps. Nebulisers. Glucometers. Blood pressure monitors. Weight-and-height scales. Crash carts. Fetal dopplers. Audiometers. Hearing test equipment. Endodontic systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dental equipment. Dental furnace monitors. Lens-cutting machines. Eyeglass-making machines. Blood bank refrigerators. Blood sample mixers. Blood unit scales. Diabetic foot monitors. Defibrillators. Automated external defibrillators. Medical cleaning machines. Induction-heating systems. Autoclaves. UV sterilisers. Sterile sealing machines. Sterilisation equipment.<\/p>\n

Medical kit (2): Thermometers to X-ray machines…<\/p>\n

Thermometers. Ventilators. Children\u2019s ventilators. Anaesthesia machines. Oxygen generators. Oxygen concentrators. Oxygen flow meters. Oxygen regulators. Oxygen cylinders. Vital-sign monitors. Electrocardiographs. Pulse oximeters. X-ray machines<\/a>. Fluoroscopes. Ultrasound machines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Medical kit (3): Wheelchairs, crutches, dialysis kit…<\/p>\n

Diagnostic-imaging equipment. Blood-monitoring equipment. Dialysis equipment. Dialysis supplies. Electric wheelchairs. Wheelchairs. Walkers. Crutches.<\/p>\n

Medical consumables. Medical spare parts. Surgical equipment. Surgical instruments. Surgical drills. Orthopaedic drills. Orthopaedic screws. Orthopaedic plates. Orthopaedic materials. Scalpels. Scalpel handles. Scissors. Clamps. Staplers. Tourniquets. Sutures. Dressings. Gauze. Gloves. Airway supplies. Intubation supplies. Maternity kits. Pre-pregnancy supplies. Postpartum supplies. Sanitary pads. Menstrual kits.<\/p>\n

Antibiotics. Antiseptics. Hormone medication. Reproductive health medication. Insulin. Cancer medication. Painkillers. Anaesthetics.<\/p>\n

This is collective punishment of Palestinians\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not merely food, but the means of growing it; not merely water, but the means of finding, cleaning, and pumping it; not merely medicine, but the equipment required to administer it.<\/p>\n

This is an opinion column.<\/p>\n

It usually runs to 1,000 words. Eight hundred of them have been spent naming ordinary things Israel has illegally denied the people of Gaza. I could fill another column and still not exhaust the list. There is almost no opinion here. These are not metaphors. They are documented facts, each one a small but essential piece of existence weaponised to collectively punish a people.<\/p>\n

So take the selfies. Stay apolitical. Play the fixtures. Stage the concerts. Sign the contracts. Enjoy yourselves. But do not mistake comfort for innocence, nor proximity to power for moral impunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every photograph, sycophantic chuckle, football match, performance, and transaction is a subtle endorsement of a blunt instrument of evil. It comes at a cost. It is simply not you who are being made to pay it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To every Irish person who queued to take a selfie with Donald Trump last week; who slapped him…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629509,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4712,969,4888,61,60,1196,43],"class_list":["post-629508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-israel-palestine","tag-donald-trump","tag-family","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-middle-east","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}