Extended interview with Anne Aly, Australia's first female Muslim cabinet member
Nine News federal politics reporter Claudia Vrdoljak has sat down for an extended interview with Australia's first female Muslim national cabinet member, Anne Aly.
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Sydney Morning Herald
30 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site as officials say 33 killed seeking aid in Gaza
The videos caused an uproar in Israel and raised pressure on the government to reach a deal to bring home from Gaza the remaining 50 hostages who were captured on October 7, 2023, in the Hamas-led attack that triggered the war. Israel's official position accepts the rules restricting non-Muslim prayer at the compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site and the most sacred site in Judaism. Ben-Gvir's previous visits have prompted threats from Palestinian militant groups. Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators in and around the site fuelled an 11-day war with Hamas in 2021. Sunday's visit was swiftly condemned as an incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan, the Al-Aqsa Mosque's custodian, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said after Ben-Gvir's visit that Israel would not change the norms governing the site, which is run by a Jordanian religious foundation. Videos of suffering Israeli hostages The weekend videos – released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza — triggered outrage across the political spectrum after the hostages, speaking under duress, described grim conditions and an urgent lack of food. Tens of thousands rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday, urging Israel and the United States to urgently pursue the hostages' release after suspending ceasefire talks. Loading 'In this new video, his eyes are extinguished. He is helpless, and so am I,' Tami Braslavski, mother of one of the hostages, Rom Braslavski, said in a statement. Netanyahu's office said it spoke with the Red Cross to seek help in providing the hostages with food and medical care. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was 'appalled by the harrowing videos' and called for access to the hostages. Right-wing politicians who oppose deals with Hamas said the videos reinforced their conviction that Hamas must be obliterated. 'From here we need to bring a message and ensure that from today, we conquer all of the Gaza Strip, declare sovereignty over all of the Gaza Strip, take out every Hamas member and encourage voluntary emigration,' Ben-Gvir said on a video posted on social media after his visit to the holy site. Deadly chaos around aid sites Palestinians reported more deadly violence at aid sites on Sunday, and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a staff member was killed when Israeli forces shelled its office. Israel's military said it was reviewing the Red Crescent's claim. The Red Cross called it an 'outrage' that so many first responders have been killed in the war. Hospital officials said Israeli forces killed at least 33 Palestinians seeking food, and witnesses described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged toward aid sites. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts warn faces 'a worst-case scenario of famine' because of Israel's blockade. No aid entered Gaza between March 2 and May 19, and aid has been limited since then. Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, including one travelling through Teina, told the Associated Press they saw soldiers open fire on the routes, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. Israel's military said it was not aware of casualties as a result of its gunfire near aid sites in the south. The United Nations says 859 people were killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31, and hundreds of others have been killed along the routes of UN-led food convoys. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's military has said it only fires warning shots. Both claim the death tolls have been exaggerated. GHF's media office said Sunday there was no gunfire 'near or at our sites.' More deaths from hunger Gaza's Health Ministry said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, bringing the malnutrition-related death toll among adults to 82 over the five weeks that such deaths have been counted. Ninety-three children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began, the ministry said. Israel has taken steps in the past week to increase the flow of food into Gaza, saying 1200 aid trucks have entered while hundreds of pallets have been airdropped, but UN and relief groups say conditions have not improved. The UN has said 500 to 600 trucks a day are needed. About 1200 people were killed in the 2023 attack that sparked the war, and another 251 were abducted. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,800 Palestinians, according to the health ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed the figures but hasn't provided its own account of casualties.
The Age
30 minutes ago
- The Age
Israeli minister prays at flashpoint holy site as officials say 33 killed seeking aid in Gaza
The videos caused an uproar in Israel and raised pressure on the government to reach a deal to bring home from Gaza the remaining 50 hostages who were captured on October 7, 2023, in the Hamas-led attack that triggered the war. Israel's official position accepts the rules restricting non-Muslim prayer at the compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site and the most sacred site in Judaism. Ben-Gvir's previous visits have prompted threats from Palestinian militant groups. Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators in and around the site fuelled an 11-day war with Hamas in 2021. Sunday's visit was swiftly condemned as an incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan, the Al-Aqsa Mosque's custodian, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said after Ben-Gvir's visit that Israel would not change the norms governing the site, which is run by a Jordanian religious foundation. Videos of suffering Israeli hostages The weekend videos – released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza — triggered outrage across the political spectrum after the hostages, speaking under duress, described grim conditions and an urgent lack of food. Tens of thousands rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday, urging Israel and the United States to urgently pursue the hostages' release after suspending ceasefire talks. Loading 'In this new video, his eyes are extinguished. He is helpless, and so am I,' Tami Braslavski, mother of one of the hostages, Rom Braslavski, said in a statement. Netanyahu's office said it spoke with the Red Cross to seek help in providing the hostages with food and medical care. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was 'appalled by the harrowing videos' and called for access to the hostages. Right-wing politicians who oppose deals with Hamas said the videos reinforced their conviction that Hamas must be obliterated. 'From here we need to bring a message and ensure that from today, we conquer all of the Gaza Strip, declare sovereignty over all of the Gaza Strip, take out every Hamas member and encourage voluntary emigration,' Ben-Gvir said on a video posted on social media after his visit to the holy site. Deadly chaos around aid sites Palestinians reported more deadly violence at aid sites on Sunday, and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a staff member was killed when Israeli forces shelled its office. Israel's military said it was reviewing the Red Crescent's claim. The Red Cross called it an 'outrage' that so many first responders have been killed in the war. Hospital officials said Israeli forces killed at least 33 Palestinians seeking food, and witnesses described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged toward aid sites. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts warn faces 'a worst-case scenario of famine' because of Israel's blockade. No aid entered Gaza between March 2 and May 19, and aid has been limited since then. Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, including one travelling through Teina, told the Associated Press they saw soldiers open fire on the routes, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. Israel's military said it was not aware of casualties as a result of its gunfire near aid sites in the south. The United Nations says 859 people were killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31, and hundreds of others have been killed along the routes of UN-led food convoys. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's military has said it only fires warning shots. Both claim the death tolls have been exaggerated. GHF's media office said Sunday there was no gunfire 'near or at our sites.' More deaths from hunger Gaza's Health Ministry said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, bringing the malnutrition-related death toll among adults to 82 over the five weeks that such deaths have been counted. Ninety-three children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began, the ministry said. Israel has taken steps in the past week to increase the flow of food into Gaza, saying 1200 aid trucks have entered while hundreds of pallets have been airdropped, but UN and relief groups say conditions have not improved. The UN has said 500 to 600 trucks a day are needed. About 1200 people were killed in the 2023 attack that sparked the war, and another 251 were abducted. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,800 Palestinians, according to the health ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed the figures but hasn't provided its own account of casualties.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Palestinian statehood declares 'enough' suffering
A group of nations collectively recognising a Palestinian state is a declaration the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is "enough", a Labor MP says. Canada has joined the UK and France in announcing plans to support statehood at a United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. But Canada's pledge comes with conditions, including the demilitarisation and exclusion of Hamas, which Australia deems a terrorist organisation. Labor backbencher Ed Husic, the first Muslim elected to federal parliament and one of the first Muslim cabinet ministers, said the move had become a way for countries to put pressure on the Israeli government. "A lot of our friends in the international community, for them, recognition is their way of saying enough," he told ABC News on Friday. "Enough with the blockade, enough with holding back humanitarian aid. Enough with people starving, enough with people being killed - innocent Palestinians in their scores. "Australia has this opportunity now to be able to press its ambitions and objectives in this area that are founded on very solid grounds." Mr Husic said there were "conditions that need to be fulfilled, and then recognition will be part at the end of that process". The federal government is under increasing pressure to follow suit, with senior ministers saying Australia's recognition of Palestine is a matter of "when, not if". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation would not be bound by the deadline of the UN conference. "The decision to recognise (Palestine) on the path to two states being created would make a positive difference … but in order for that to be achieved, there needs to be security for the state of Israel," he told ABC's 7.30 on Thursday. Liberal senator Paul Scarr said the coalition's "firm view" was a negotiated two-state solution and that Hamas could not be in control of Gaza. "We all want to see peace, we all want to see an enduring solution, we all want to see the suffering end," he told ABC Radio. "A negotiated, enduring solution is the pathway we should be looking for." It comes as Australia's representative to the UN James Larsen said the government would continue to work with the international community to make a two-state solution a reality. "Australia shares the frustration of the great majority of countries that a Palestinian state still does not exist," he said at the UN overnight. Mr Larsen reiterated terrorist group Hamas could play no role in the future governance of a Palestinian state and that hostages needed to be released immediately. But statehood remained "an essential step to a two-state solution", he said, amid criticism from Israel and Jewish groups in Australia that recognition would reward Hamas. A group of nations collectively recognising a Palestinian state is a declaration the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is "enough", a Labor MP says. Canada has joined the UK and France in announcing plans to support statehood at a United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. But Canada's pledge comes with conditions, including the demilitarisation and exclusion of Hamas, which Australia deems a terrorist organisation. Labor backbencher Ed Husic, the first Muslim elected to federal parliament and one of the first Muslim cabinet ministers, said the move had become a way for countries to put pressure on the Israeli government. "A lot of our friends in the international community, for them, recognition is their way of saying enough," he told ABC News on Friday. "Enough with the blockade, enough with holding back humanitarian aid. Enough with people starving, enough with people being killed - innocent Palestinians in their scores. "Australia has this opportunity now to be able to press its ambitions and objectives in this area that are founded on very solid grounds." Mr Husic said there were "conditions that need to be fulfilled, and then recognition will be part at the end of that process". The federal government is under increasing pressure to follow suit, with senior ministers saying Australia's recognition of Palestine is a matter of "when, not if". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation would not be bound by the deadline of the UN conference. "The decision to recognise (Palestine) on the path to two states being created would make a positive difference … but in order for that to be achieved, there needs to be security for the state of Israel," he told ABC's 7.30 on Thursday. Liberal senator Paul Scarr said the coalition's "firm view" was a negotiated two-state solution and that Hamas could not be in control of Gaza. "We all want to see peace, we all want to see an enduring solution, we all want to see the suffering end," he told ABC Radio. "A negotiated, enduring solution is the pathway we should be looking for." It comes as Australia's representative to the UN James Larsen said the government would continue to work with the international community to make a two-state solution a reality. "Australia shares the frustration of the great majority of countries that a Palestinian state still does not exist," he said at the UN overnight. Mr Larsen reiterated terrorist group Hamas could play no role in the future governance of a Palestinian state and that hostages needed to be released immediately. But statehood remained "an essential step to a two-state solution", he said, amid criticism from Israel and Jewish groups in Australia that recognition would reward Hamas. A group of nations collectively recognising a Palestinian state is a declaration the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is "enough", a Labor MP says. Canada has joined the UK and France in announcing plans to support statehood at a United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. But Canada's pledge comes with conditions, including the demilitarisation and exclusion of Hamas, which Australia deems a terrorist organisation. Labor backbencher Ed Husic, the first Muslim elected to federal parliament and one of the first Muslim cabinet ministers, said the move had become a way for countries to put pressure on the Israeli government. "A lot of our friends in the international community, for them, recognition is their way of saying enough," he told ABC News on Friday. "Enough with the blockade, enough with holding back humanitarian aid. Enough with people starving, enough with people being killed - innocent Palestinians in their scores. "Australia has this opportunity now to be able to press its ambitions and objectives in this area that are founded on very solid grounds." Mr Husic said there were "conditions that need to be fulfilled, and then recognition will be part at the end of that process". The federal government is under increasing pressure to follow suit, with senior ministers saying Australia's recognition of Palestine is a matter of "when, not if". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation would not be bound by the deadline of the UN conference. "The decision to recognise (Palestine) on the path to two states being created would make a positive difference … but in order for that to be achieved, there needs to be security for the state of Israel," he told ABC's 7.30 on Thursday. Liberal senator Paul Scarr said the coalition's "firm view" was a negotiated two-state solution and that Hamas could not be in control of Gaza. "We all want to see peace, we all want to see an enduring solution, we all want to see the suffering end," he told ABC Radio. "A negotiated, enduring solution is the pathway we should be looking for." It comes as Australia's representative to the UN James Larsen said the government would continue to work with the international community to make a two-state solution a reality. "Australia shares the frustration of the great majority of countries that a Palestinian state still does not exist," he said at the UN overnight. Mr Larsen reiterated terrorist group Hamas could play no role in the future governance of a Palestinian state and that hostages needed to be released immediately. But statehood remained "an essential step to a two-state solution", he said, amid criticism from Israel and Jewish groups in Australia that recognition would reward Hamas. A group of nations collectively recognising a Palestinian state is a declaration the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is "enough", a Labor MP says. Canada has joined the UK and France in announcing plans to support statehood at a United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. But Canada's pledge comes with conditions, including the demilitarisation and exclusion of Hamas, which Australia deems a terrorist organisation. Labor backbencher Ed Husic, the first Muslim elected to federal parliament and one of the first Muslim cabinet ministers, said the move had become a way for countries to put pressure on the Israeli government. "A lot of our friends in the international community, for them, recognition is their way of saying enough," he told ABC News on Friday. "Enough with the blockade, enough with holding back humanitarian aid. Enough with people starving, enough with people being killed - innocent Palestinians in their scores. "Australia has this opportunity now to be able to press its ambitions and objectives in this area that are founded on very solid grounds." Mr Husic said there were "conditions that need to be fulfilled, and then recognition will be part at the end of that process". The federal government is under increasing pressure to follow suit, with senior ministers saying Australia's recognition of Palestine is a matter of "when, not if". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation would not be bound by the deadline of the UN conference. "The decision to recognise (Palestine) on the path to two states being created would make a positive difference … but in order for that to be achieved, there needs to be security for the state of Israel," he told ABC's 7.30 on Thursday. Liberal senator Paul Scarr said the coalition's "firm view" was a negotiated two-state solution and that Hamas could not be in control of Gaza. "We all want to see peace, we all want to see an enduring solution, we all want to see the suffering end," he told ABC Radio. "A negotiated, enduring solution is the pathway we should be looking for." It comes as Australia's representative to the UN James Larsen said the government would continue to work with the international community to make a two-state solution a reality. "Australia shares the frustration of the great majority of countries that a Palestinian state still does not exist," he said at the UN overnight. Mr Larsen reiterated terrorist group Hamas could play no role in the future governance of a Palestinian state and that hostages needed to be released immediately. But statehood remained "an essential step to a two-state solution", he said, amid criticism from Israel and Jewish groups in Australia that recognition would reward Hamas.
