President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute to members of the Irish Defence Forces overseas in his final Christmas message ahead of his term of office ending in November next year.
In his 14th and final message as President in Arás an Uachtaráin at Christmas, President Higgins also drew special attention to the wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.
Tensions between Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Forces in recent months has focused attention on the role of Irish troops serving with the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL.
In October, Camp Shamrock, where hundreds of Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon are based, was struck by a rocket.
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President Higgins praised Irish soldiers' "contribution to peace-building and protecting some of the "most vulnerable members" of society.
He said this was an "example of Irishness and its values at its best".
"Their work and their families’ sacrifices that make it possible are moral examples for the entire international community, including the most powerful," he added.
President Higgins condemned global conflicts and the "failure to achieve peace".
"When wars and conflicts become accepted and presented as seemingly unending, such as at present, humanity is the loser," he said.
"War is not the natural condition of humanity and, if it were, it would constitute little less than a species failure for human life," he added.
He highlighted those suffering in conflicts, including "the brutal attacks and taking of hostages by Hamas on 7th October".
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President Higgins criticised "those with influence" for being silent in "the face of gross violations of the human rights of civilians".
This, he said, "is conferring an impunity on those who are flagrantly inflicting collective punishment on civilians, including starvation which, as I speak, is affecting most of all women and children".
He said those in Gaza are "now a crucible of suffering for children and their families".
The President's comments on the Middle East in his Christmas message follow his prior remarks this week on the Israeli decision to close its Dublin embassy and the subsequent fallout.
Speaking at a credentials ceremony for Ambassador of the State of Palestine on Tuesday, he said the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has breached "so many bits of international law and the sovereignty of three of his neighbours".
In reference to the Israeli Foreign Minister calling Taoiseach Simon Harris "anti-Semetic", President Higgins said it is a "deep slander" and "a very serious business" to describe the Irish people as anti-Semitic because they disagree with the actions of the Israeli Prime Minister.
Regarding Ukraine, he said those in the country had "now endured over 1,000 days of war".
He noted Sudan where, he said, there is "acute hunger facing 25 million people, more than half the country's population".
President Higgins also paid tribute to Irish people living overseas, as well as people who have sought asylum in Ireland.
"May they, this Christmas season, all feel both welcome and kindness while separated from their own families around the world. Their new home does not require any forgetting of their home cultures or families," he said.
Reflecting on his last Christmas at Arás an Uachtaráin, President Higgins recalled his first Christmas message in 2011, where he said: "We are a country of which there is much to be proud; whose possibilities are still to be fully imagined and realised; and whose people I am honoured to serve."
He said that now, in his final year as President, it "remains the greatest honour and privilege to serve you, the people of Ireland. I look forward immensely to continuing to do so over the coming year".
