Australia and allies condemn Israel over ‘inhumane' Gaza aid deaths
Signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her counterparts from the UK, France, and Canada, the joint statement published late Monday accused Israel of an 'unacceptable' denial of humanitarian aid and warned they were prepared to take action to help bring about a ceasefire.
'The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,' the statement said.
'We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic need of water and food. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.'
The 25 countries are demanding Israel urgently boost the flow of aid and enable the UN and charities 'to do their life-saving work safely and effectively' after 85 Palestinians were killed trying to access food in various locations, according to the territory's health ministry.
After the breakdown of the initial January ceasefire, Israel imposed a humanitarian blockade on the strip in March before overhauling the delivery of aid.
The international community has criticised the replacement of established NGOs with the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to the UN Human Rights Council figures published last week, almost 900 people were killed in Gaza while trying to get food; '674 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites.'
Earlier on Monday Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah, an area of Gaza which had been largely untouched by the conflict and where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought refuge. The incursion has led to speculation that Hamas is holding large numbers of hostages there.
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Perth Now
38 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Dire situation in Gaza prompts stronger Australian tone
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ramped up calls for a ceasefire "needed desperately" as starvation ravages Gazan children. Australia has strengthened its language against Israel for blocking aid and breaching international law since the war started on October 7, 2023, after designated terror group Hamas launched an attack against Israel. AID * December 13, 2023: "Safe and unimpeded humanitarian access must be increased and sustained". * July 26, 2024: "Sustained increase in the flow of assistance throughout Gaza is needed to address the humanitarian situation". * July 25, 2025: "Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored". CIVILIANS * October 26, 2023: "We are concerned at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and call on all actors to ensure the provision of humanitarian supplies to populations in need". * December 13, 2023: "Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected ... the price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians". * February 15, 2024: "With the humanitarian situation in Gaza already dire, the impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating. We urge Israel not to go down this path". * July 26, 2024: "The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue". * July 25, 2025: "Every innocent life matters. Every Israeli. Every Palestinian". CEASEFIRE * October 26, 2023: "We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages". * December 13, 2023: "Support urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire ... Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields and lay down its arms". *January 16, 2025: "Australia welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage agreement in Gaza ... We urge all parties to respect its terms and safeguard a lasting peace". * July 25, 2024: "An immediate ceasefire is needed desperately". ISRAEL * October 26, 2023: "Our countries will support Israel as it defends itself and its people against such atrocities. We affirm Israel's inherent right to defend itself". * July 25, 2025: "We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law". PALESTINE * October 26, 2023: "We continue to support Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own and consider a two-state solution". * January 16, 2025: "We hope (a ceasefire) will allow the Palestinian people the opportunity to rebuild, reform their governance and pursue self-determination". * July 25, 2025: "The reason a two state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it".


SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Albanese says Israel's denial of aid, killing of civilians 'cannot be defended or ignored'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on Israel to "comply immediately with its obligations under international law", saying its denial of aid and the killing of civilians seeking water and food "cannot be defended or ignored". The statement on the "situation in Gaza", delivered on Friday, is Albanese's strongest language so far on the suffering in the Palestinian enclave, which he called a "humanitarian catastrophe". "The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world's worst fears," Albanese said. "The position of the Australian government is clear: every innocent life matters. Every Israeli. Every Palestinian." "This conflict has stolen far too many innocent lives. Tens of thousands of civilians are dead, children are starving," Albanese said. He said Gaza is "in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe". "Israel's denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored," the statement said. Amir Maimon, Israel's ambassador to Australia, criticised the statement, saying: "To condemn Israel for defending itself is wrong." "It deflects attention from the real perpetrators of this horror: Hamas," said Maimon, who added "the international community must stop equivocating and start acting". Albanese said Australia condemned "the terror and brutality" of Hamas and reiterated calls for the immediate release of the remaining hostages it took in the October 7 attack, and continued support of all international efforts for a ceasefire. Humanitarian crisis in Gaza On Wednesday, it was reported 15 people, including a six-week-old baby, starved to death in 24 hours in Gaza, according to doctors, linking this to a wave of hunger that persisted for months. Since Hamas — the political and military group that rules Gaza — attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, sparking the nearly two-year-long war , at least 101 people, including 80 children, have died from hunger, with most fatalities occurring in the last few weeks, according to Palestinian officials. Speaking after the appeal by 111 aid and human rights groups for governments to take action, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it's man-made, and that's very clear." "This is because of the blockade," he said. The contentious US-based Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) has been delivering aid to Gaza since May. It bypasses traditional aid channels, including the UN, which says the GHF is neither impartial nor neutral. Earlier this month, Israel's military acknowledged Palestinians were harmed at aid distribution centres, saying new instructions had been issued following what it called "lessons learned". Albanese called on Israel to "comply immediately with its obligations under international law". "This includes allowing the United Nations and NGOs to carry out their lifesaving work safely and without hindrance," he said. "Any proposals for the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian population must be abandoned." In their joint statement, the humanitarian and aid organisations also criticised the GHF and said that "tons" of aid were in warehouses just outside Gaza, but Israel's government was restricting its entry. The Israeli government has rejected such claims and accused the UN and its partners of not collecting the large quantities of food and other essentials that were cleared and waiting on the Gaza side of the border. It says aid is flowing into Gaza. PM reaffirms commitment to two-state solution Albanese's statement on Friday did not reference Macron's announcement that France will recognise Palestinian statehood. However, it reaffirmed the government's position for an Israel-Palestinian two-state solution. "Recognising the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own has long been a bipartisan position in Australia," he said. "The reason a two-state solution remains the goal of the international community is because a just and lasting peace depends upon it," Albanese said. "Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within secure and internationally recognised borders." The prime minister's statement comes in the same week Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined more than 20 of her global counterparts in a joint statement that called for an immediate end to Israel's violence in Gaza and condemned the denial of humanitarian assistance to starving Palestinians. That coincided with the first sitting day of parliament following the May federal election, which was marked by pro-Palestinian protests on the lawns outside who called on the government to take more action against Israel, including imposing sanctions. Some politicians, including Mehreen Faruqi, demanded that too. In a silent protest in the upper house, the Greens senator held a sign that read "Gaza is starving. Words won't feed them. Sanction Israel" during Governor-General Sam Mostyn's address. Albanese 'fails to place any blame on Hamas' Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash said while the Coalition has "strong concerns" about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, it was "disappointing" that Albanese's statement "once again fails to place any blame on Hamas, a listed terrorist organisation, for the delays in aid reaching the people of Gaza". "The Coalition acknowledges that the delay in aid entering Gaza is unacceptable and that the Israeli government needs to urgently work with international bodies to allow aid to flow freely to those that need it," Cash said. "However, the right system must be in place so that it can be distributed without Hamas intervening in the process." In her statement, Cash did not detail how Hamas was delaying aid reaching Gaza nor how it was intervening. Overnight, Israel and the United States recalled their delegations from the latest ceasefire talks for consultations, with US envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of failing to act in good faith. Hamas said it was surprised by Witkoff's remarks, adding the group's position had been welcomed by mediators and had opened the door to reaching a comprehensive agreement.


Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Israel, US decry French move to recognise Palestine
France's move to recognise a Palestinian state has drawn angry rebukes from Israel and the US, while pushing other countries to make strong expressions of support for a two-state solution. French President Emmanuel Macron intends to make the recognition official at the UN General Assembly in September. He unveiled his decision on X, publishing a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming his intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to convince other partners to follow suit. France will become the first major Western country to recognise a Palestinian state, potentially fuelling a movement so far dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel. The news sparked anger in Israel and Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by one of his country's closest allies and a G7 member, saying such a move "rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy." In a post on X, he added, "A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. "Let's be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel." Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the move as "a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism," adding that Israel would not allow the establishment of a "Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence." The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States "strongly rejects (Macron's) plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly." In a post on X, he said, "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th." In June, Washington's ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a US foreign policy goal. President Donald Trump has himself expressed doubts about a two-state solution, proposing a US takeover of Gaza in February, that was condemned by rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing". The French move has prompted the UK, Australia and Canada to make statements reiterating their support for a two-state solution and condemning the situation in Gaza - but stopping short of recognising Palestine. "We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said . "The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible." "Australia is committed to a future where both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples can live in peace and safety, within internationally-recognised borders," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. "Until that day, every effort must be made here and now to safeguard innocent life and end the suffering and starvation of the people of Gaza Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney also pressed Israel to seek peace, and accused it of violating international law by blocking aid to civilians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave Thanking France, the Palestinian Authority's Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said on X that Macron's decision reflected "France's commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state."