Photo: DALY, RobertIrish Human Rights Commission
The Commission in Focus – Commissioner Robert Daly
Robert Dally was first appointed a Commissioner in 2001 and re-appointed in 2006.  Professor Daly is an expert on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, on the psychiatric effects of interrogation and torture and on the medical aspects of human rights in general.  In the past he represented the Irish Government in the torture case against the UK at the European Commission on Human Rights, was a member of Amnesty International’s Medical Advisory Board awarded the European Peace prize, advised the American Civil Liberties Union and worked for victims of abuse in Latin American States and the Balkan Wars.  He has been a trainer for the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and for human rights workers in the Kosovo conflict.  He has served as an expert witness in numerous human rights cases on both sides of the border and in the UK.
Professor Daly, in his role as an IHRC commissioner, is an active contributor to the overall work of the Commission, and in particular the work of its Finance, Audit and General Purposes Committee, and Administration of Justice Committee.

For more information, see www.ihrc.ie

Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
  • The recent Israeli bombardment of Gaza resulted in excess of 1,300 dead (including 417 children and 108 women), and in 5,300 people injured.  Extensive destruction was caused to homes and public infrastructure throughout Gaza, with many families losing their entire possessions.
  • The conflict compounded an already serious humanitarian situation arising from the economic blockade of the territory over the previous 19 months.  Even before the conflict, 80% of the population of Gaza was in receipt of humanitarian assistance.

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  • The blockade of the Gaza Strip continues, and over  80%of trucks allowed entry in February carried food.  The availability of most basic food items re at a sufficient level, though the situation remains volatile and unpredictable – currently the Israeli authorities are preventing the importation of jam, biscuits, tomato paste and tea.
  • Other major essential supplies, such as construction materials, spare parts for water and wastewater infrastructures, industrial inputs and livestock were not allowed entry last month.
  • Approximately 90% of the population of Gaza continue to suffer from intermittent power supply with power cuts of 4 to 5 hours being experienced daily.
  • Some 50,000 people still remain without access to water in there homes, while a further 100,000 others are experiencing intermittent supply.
  • Over three-quarters of the 1.4 million people living in Gaza are registered refugees.  This represents over 22% of all UNRWA registered Palestinian refugees and the refugee camps in the Gaza Strip have one of the highest population densities in the world.
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