The deaths of so many children in Gaza have been particularly shocking. Al Jazeera has reported that attacks by Israel have killed at least 5,500 children in Gaza since this conflict erupted — approximately one Palestinian child killed every 10 minutes — and that does not account for 1,800 children missing, most presumed dead under destroyed buildings.

The temporary ceasefire will hopefully bring a pause to this savagery, and will also allow the exchange of hostages which is a key element of the ceasefire agreement. Hopes that a temporary cessation of hostilities might somehow be leveraged into a more permanent arrangement have already been dashed by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who pledged to continue with the war once the ceasefire ends.

Netanyahu has other stresses to contend with which are far closer to home. He faces political pressure within Israel itself, with opinion polls showing that a significant section of the electorate believes he should resign and are dissatisfied with his handling of the hostage crisis. 

How will that scepticism among voters influence Netanyahu’s management of the conflict? Would a replacement be more or less belligerent than the incumbent?

On the other side, Hamas has a far more oblique leadership structure, and the organisation’s goals can be more difficult to ascertain.

Yet, one adviser told American media outlets recently that the aim was to create a state of permanent war with Israel and to get the Arab world to join Hamas.

Neither side looks interested in a swift end to the conflict, but the search for a peaceful resolution cannot be abandoned. And even a four-day ceasefire offers a chance to work on that long-term goal.

Midleton insurance delays 

It is now just over a month since the East Cork town of Midleton suffered huge flooding damage. When the water was still pooling all over the town, it was inundated once more — by politicians offering support to beleaguered locals.

“We are not just here as a Government to express solidarity,” Taoiseach Leo Varadakar said at that time.

We are here to help ... and we are going to ensure that help is on the way.

Such promises were plentiful at the time, but now there is a need for public representatives to follow through on those commitments, as businesses in Midleton struggle to get insurance payments.

As this newspaper reported yesterday, many businesses in the Midleton area cannot get insurance because of the town’s flooding history, and while there are some who have been able to get insured, they have had to pay hefty annual premiums in recent years.

Now those businesses claim they are being stonewalled by insurance companies, as they attempt to claim on their policies. Some have been told their policies did not cover flood damage, while others have been told they must pay from €10,000 to €40,000, as part of the excess, before their claims are evaluated.

The exquisite irony here is that if those businesses and premises that went to the trouble of getting insurance had not done so, they would be eligible to claim from the emergency fund set up by the Government and distributed by the Red Cross — that fund is specifically for businesses which could not get insurance.

The businesses that are being stymied by insurance companies deserve the support of those politicians who went to Midleton in the aftermath of the flooding.

Local representatives have joined their voices with the affected businesses, but substantive action from those in the highest offices of Government, and pressure on insurers, might help ease the burden of businesses scrambling to get back on their feet in the community.

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Shannon Scheme should inspire us on renewables

The now-infamous ‘robot trees’ bought by Cork City Council have attracted plenty of adverse comment — and calls for their removal.

However, at a recent meeting, Green Party councillor Oliver Moran made a point. “I don’t think we should have any regrets in trying the moss walls," he said. "The enormous environmental challenges ahead of us will require innovation, and from time to time that will involve taking risks on new ideas."

This contribution came to mind when considering Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s comments about renewable energy at a recent Cork Chamber dinner in Dublin: 

“I want Ireland to become energy independent by harnessing our untapped renewable energy resources, particularly our offshore wind. This is our moonshot for the 21st century.”

The Taoiseach cannily invoked the spirit of John F Kennedy’s early-60s commitment to get to the moon, but he also mentioned Ardnacrusha, the power station built in Clare when the State was just a few years old. At the time, the project was testimony to the challenges facing Ireland — and to its energy and enterprise in taking on those challenges. 

The planet faces an even more daunting challenge now when it comes to climate change, and large-scale alternative energy sources must be found. We must embrace that challenge with the urgency our forefathers displayed building Ardnacrusha.